U.S. patent application number 14/696477 was filed with the patent office on 2015-08-27 for method and apparatus for accessing content.
The applicant listed for this patent is Hitachi Maxell, Ltd.. Invention is credited to Noriaki Harada, Tamotsu Ito, Tsugutaro Ozawa.
Application Number | 20150245102 14/696477 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 18500857 |
Filed Date | 2015-08-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150245102 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ito; Tamotsu ; et
al. |
August 27, 2015 |
Method and Apparatus for Accessing Content
Abstract
A method and apparatus for accessing content is capable of
retrieving and selecting information is facilitated by using
uniform operations. Symbols corresponding to pre-recorded programs
contained on a recording medium are displayed on a screen. In
response to selecting one of the symbols, representative frames
comprising the program are displayed on the screen. In response to
selecting a representative frame, a portion of the program is
played back. In a recording device, content is accessed by
displaying a representative frame from each of a number of
user-defined streams. At least a portion of a stream is played back
in response to selection of the corresponding one of the
representative frames.
Inventors: |
Ito; Tamotsu; (Osaka,
JP) ; Harada; Noriaki; (Osaka, JP) ; Ozawa;
Tsugutaro; (Osaka, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hitachi Maxell, Ltd. |
Osaka |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
18500857 |
Appl. No.: |
14/696477 |
Filed: |
April 26, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11016161 |
Dec 16, 2004 |
9032438 |
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14696477 |
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09644198 |
Aug 22, 2000 |
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11016161 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
725/41 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B 2220/2562 20130101;
G11B 27/007 20130101; G11B 27/105 20130101; G11B 2220/65 20130101;
H04N 1/2175 20130101; G11B 19/02 20130101; H04N 21/482 20130101;
G11B 27/34 20130101; H04N 21/47 20130101; H04N 21/47217 20130101;
G11B 27/326 20130101; H04N 21/42204 20130101; H04N 21/4316
20130101; G11B 27/11 20130101; G11B 27/034 20130101; G11B 27/329
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04N 21/472 20060101
H04N021/472; H04N 21/482 20060101 H04N021/482 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 28, 1999 |
JP |
P11-372672 |
Claims
1. An apparatus configured to reproduce a moving image, the
apparatus comprising: a reproducing unit configured to reproduce
moving images; a display unit configured to display a list of a
plurality of small-frame images, each of the plurality of
small-frame images correspond to moving images; a user interface
unit configured to receive user instruction to select one of the
plurality of small-frame images displayed by the display unit; and
a control unit configured to control at least the reproducing unit,
wherein the control unit is configured to selectively provide: a
first control mode in which the reproducing unit is configured to
reproduce one moving image corresponding to the selected one of the
plurality of small-frame images with audio in response to a user
instruction via the user interface unit and the display unit is
configured to display the moving image reproduced in a first size
without displaying other small-frame images which are not selected,
and a second control mode in which the reproducing unit is
configured to reproduce one moving image corresponding to the
selected one of the plurality of small-frame images with audio in
response to a user instruction via the user interface unit and the
display unit configured to display the moving image reproduced in a
second size which is smaller than the first size and is overlapped
with other small-frame images which are not selected, wherein the
other small-frame images displayed with the moving image being
capable of being selected for reproduction when reproducing the
moving image.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in case that one of
the other small-frame images displayed with the moving image is
selected when reproducing the moving image, the reproducing unit is
configured to start reproduction of a moving image corresponding to
the selected one of the other small-frame images in response to a
user instruction for selecting the one of the other small-frame
images via the user interface unit.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display unit is
further configured to display the list of the plurality of
small-frame images with literal information related to each of the
plurality of small-frame images.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when in the first
control mode, the display unit is configured to display the moving
image reproduced at full screen.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation application of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 11/016,161, filed Dec. 16, 2004 and
entitled "Method and Apparatus for Accessing Content," which is a
continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
09/644,198, filed Aug. 22, 2000 and entitled "Method and Apparatus
for Accessing Content," which is related to and claims priority
from Japanese Patent Application No. 11-372672, filed on Dec. 28,
1999, each of which are incorporated by reference herein in their
entirety for any and all purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a device for recording
image information to a medium or a device for playing back image
information from a medium. Examples of systems for playing back
image information recorded on media include VCRs, which have been
in use for a long time, as well as video CDs, which use an optical
disk with a 12 cm diameter as the recording medium. Recently, DVDs,
which use an optical disk with the same diameter but with
approximately seven times the recording capacity, have emerged.
[0003] In DVD playback devices, numbers are assigned to: recorded
programs (in DVDs, these are called "titles" and will be referred
to as such below); the plurality of scenes contained in a title (in
DVDs, these are called "chapters" and will be referred to as such
below); and frames, which are the basic units of the images.
Cueing, where a desired image is displayed at the beginning, is
accomplished by entering a title number, a chapter number, and a
frame number for a desired image, determining a playback position
on the disk, and playing back images beginning with this position
(e.g., see Japanese laid-open patent publication number Hei
7-312737).
[0004] Also, when multiple sets of supplementary information (e.g.,
"multi-angle" information containing multiple images from different
perspectives, separate left and right channels of audio, and
different languages such as Japanese and English) are recorded
simultaneously with the images, and playback conditions are
selected by selecting which supplementary information to use. The
selection of playback conditions is performed by switching between
screens for each set of information and checking the contents of
each. Supplementary information can also be recorded beforehand on
the disk as a menu of playback conditions (e.g., see Japanese
laid-open patent publication number 8-251531).
[0005] The conventional technologies described above are effective
in cases, such as with karaoke disks, where the producer of a disk
deliberately assigns numbers (e.g., numbers are assigned according
to the sequence of songs) and the documentation or the like for the
disk indicates the meaning associated with the numbers. However,
this does not provide effective means for selecting if a user
attempts to access images without the documentation. This makes
accessing and searching an arbitrary position on a disk difficult.
Also, it is not possible to look through the multiple sets of
supplementary information all at once, thus making selection time
consuming. Furthermore, if a menu for the information is recorded
beforehand, the method used to display and select the information
will vary according to the intentions of the program producers.
This is inconvenient since each disk will involve a different
method.
[0006] Also, knowing the overall content of a stream (where a
stream is the information for a series of connected scenes) is
difficult.
[0007] There is a need to overcome the problems of the conventional
technology described above and to provide a novel information
playback device that allows easy searching of information through
unified operations and that allows the contents of all or at least
part of a stream to be perceived and selected from a playback
screen.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] An information playback device comprises a driver module for
accessing content on a storage medium. The content is organized
into a plurality of programs, each program comprising a plurality
of segments, each segment comprising a plurality of frames. A
decoder module is operatively coupled to the driver module to
receive an information signal from the driver module. A user input
module is provided for receiving user input. A system control
module controls the driver and decoder modules produce a display
signal representing the programs on the storage medium. In response
to receiving a user-selected program, the system control module
further controls the driver and decoder modules to access a
representative frame from each scene of the user-selected program
and to produce a second display signal representing the
representative frames. In response to receiving a user command, the
system control module controls the driver and decoder modules
accordingly to produce a third signal representing one or more
frames from a scene corresponding to a user-selected one of the
representative frames.
[0009] In an embodiment of the invention, the second display signal
represents on-screen data comprising a row of tabs, each including
an id symbol which represents one of the programs. The
representative frames corresponding to the user-selected program
are arranged in row and column fashion. In another embodiment of
the invention, the representative frames are arranged in an
overlapping manner. The tab corresponding to the user-selected
program is visually distinct from the remaining tabs.
[0010] In an embodiment of the invention, the frames represented by
the third display signal are scaled to full-screen. In another
embodiment, the scaling is in accordance with a user-specified
scale factor.
[0011] In another aspect of the invention, the information
recording device includes an input module for recording content
onto the storage device. In this aspect of the invention, the
content is organized into user-defined streams. The second signal
comprises a representative frame from each of the streams.
[0012] The present invention allows the user to look through the
contents of programs on a storage medium in a manner that
facilitates quick switching between programs. The present invention
also facilitates searching and selecting by the use of simple
operations.
[0013] Also, program symbols or identifiers that can identify
programs and representative frames of scenes are not displayed
manually, and are instead performed through unified means based on
the data from the recording medium. Thus, it is possible to
eliminate the inconveniences caused by different interfaces and the
like based on variations in display methods between individual
recording media resulting from the intentions of the program
producers.
[0014] Of course, appropriate modifications and the like can be
made to the playing back and displaying of representative frames in
order to allow confirmation of the display contents and the
like.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The teachings of the present invention can be readily
understood by considering the following detailed description in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a block diagram for the purpose of describing a
first embodiment of an information playback device and an
information recording/playback device according to the present
invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a button arrangement figure for the purpose of
describing a remote control used in the embodiment;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a figure showing a sample video selection screen
from a first embodiment;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a flowchart for the purpose of describing the
operations performed by a selection screen display program
according to the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a figure showing an example of a multi-angle
selection screen;
[0021] FIG. 6 is a figure showing an example of an audio
information selection screen;
[0022] FIG. 7 is a block diagram for the purpose of describing a
second embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 8 is a drawing for the purpose of showing an example of
a video selection screen according to a third embodiment of the
present invention;
[0024] FIG. 9 is a drawing for the purpose of showing an example of
a video selection screen according to a sixth embodiment of the
present invention;
[0025] FIG. 10 is a drawing showing an example of a video selection
screen for a seventh embodiment of the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 11 is a flowchart for the purpose of describing an
algorithm used in a seventh embodiment of the present
invention;
[0027] FIG. 12 is a flowchart for the purpose of describing the
operations performed in a title selection screen and a chapter
selection screen used in a seventh embodiment of the present
invention;
[0028] FIG. 13 is a figure showing an example of a video selection
screen used in a seventh embodiment of the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 14 is a drawing showing an example of a video selection
screen used in a seventh embodiment of the present invention;
[0030] FIG. 15 is a drawing for the purpose of describing an
example of a representative frame or a starting frame used in an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 16 is a drawing for the purpose of describing an
example of a representative frame or a starting frame used in an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 17 is a drawing for the purpose of describing an
example of a representative frame or a starting frame used in an
embodiment of the present invention; and
[0033] FIG. 18 is a drawing for the purpose of describing an
example of a representative frame or a starting frame used in an
embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
[0034] The following is a detailed description of the embodiments
of the present invention, with references to the figures showing a
number of embodiments of the information playback device and the
information recording/playback device according to the present
invention. In FIG. 1 through FIG. 18, elements labeled with the
same numerals indicate identical or similar elements.
Embodiment 1
[0035] The following is a description of an embodiment in which the
present invention is implemented for a playback device in a DVD
system.
[0036] In the embodiment below, the description will use a starting
frame displayed at the beginning of a scene as a representative
frame or as a representative small frame.
[0037] FIG. 1 shows: a driver module 1 playing back an information
signal from a position on a disk corresponding to a specified
address; a buffer module 2 temporarily storing the information
signal output from the driver module 1; a decoder module 3 decoding
images and audio from the information signal from the buffer module
2; a random access memory (hereinafter referred to as "RAM") 4
storing data while the decoder module 3 is operating; a
digital/analog converter (hereinafter referred to as "D/A
converter") 5 converting digital signals of images output from the
decoder module 3 into analog signals; a display device 6 displaying
an image analog signal from the D/A converter 5; a D/A converter 7
converting the audio digital signal output from the decoder module
3 to an analog signal; and a speaker 8 playing back the audio
analog signal from the D/A converter 7.
[0038] Furthermore, the same figure also shows: a system control
module 9 controlling the operations of the driver module 1, the
buffer module 2, and the decoder module 3; a user interface module
11 using user instruction inputs to generate control signals and
transferring these control signals to the system control module 9;
a read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as "ROM") 12 in which
are pre-stored data and programs for controlling the sequences of
operations performed by the system control module 9; and a RAM 13
storing data used during operation of the system control module 9.
The driver module 1, the buffer module 2, the decoder module 3, the
system control module 9, the user interface module 11, the ROM 12,
and the RAM 13 are connected to each other by a bus line 10.
[0039] The decoder 2 that is used here can reduce the size of an
image when decoding image signals.
[0040] In addition to standard control programs and control data
for the system control module 9, the ROM 12 contains a selection
screen display program 121 and an OSD data 122 according to the
present invention. The OSD data 122 is data for a screen
superimposed on playback images (hereinafter referred to as "OSD
(On Screen Display) screens"). The RAM 13 contains: an address data
area 131 storing address data indicating the playback starting
positions of titles of images recorded on a disk and address data
indicating playback starting positions for chapters; and an OSD
work area 132 storing OSD data converted into bitmap data to be
displayed on screen. These will be described in detail later.
Furthermore, the RAM 4 contains a display screen area 401 holding
data for selection screens formed by combining the OSD bitmap data
and image data.
[0041] The user interface module 11 includes a remote control unit
(hereinafter referred to as the remote control) used by a user to
enter instructions and an infrared transmission path to transmit
the control signals generated by the remote control to the playback
device. The arrangement of the input buttons on the remote control
is shown in FIG. 2.
[0042] The input buttons on the remote control 201 include: a
playback button 22 for playing back a disk; a list button 23 for
selecting an image to view; a select button 25 for selecting and
entering an image from the images (selection images) displayed by
pressing the list button 23; a stop button 26 for stopping image
playback; an angle button 28 for selecting multi-angle images; an
audio button 29 for selecting audio playback conditions; and cursor
buttons 27 used to select an image or a symbol from the screens
displayed when the list button 23, the multi-angle button 28, or
the audio button 29 is pressed. Controls signals based on user
instructions are generated by the user pressing these buttons. The
cursor buttons 27 are an arrangement of buttons to allow a
selection to be moved up or down and left or right on the screen.
Additionally provided are a cue button 24 for playing back an image
by entering an address when the address of the image to be viewed
is known beforehand, and a record button 30 to begin recording.
FIG. 3 shows an example of a selection screen obtained by running
the selection screen display program 121 (see FIG. 1) of the
present invention. In a selection screen 17, the symbols for
individual titles stored on the disk are displayed as numbers in
frames (hereinafter referred to as tags) 18 at the upper part of
the screen, and starting frames 19 of individual chapters of titles
are displayed in a reduced size. The reduced frames will
hereinafter be referred to as small frames. In this example, there
are three titles. The second title is selected and its tag 18b is
displayed brighter. The small frames 19a-19i for the nine chapters
in the title are displayed, and the second small frame 19b is
selected. While four tags can be displayed, there are only three
titles so the fourth tag 18d is not labeled. The OSD screen
includes the tags 18, the numerals displayed in the tags, the
chapter numbers for small frames 19a-19i (CH1-CH9), and the borders
separating the small frames. The OSD does not include the small
frames. Next, the operations performed by the system control module
11 according to the selection screen display program 121 will be
described, with references to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. The
operations begin with the address data indicating playback starting
positions for all titles and all chapters of the images recorded on
the DVD disk being stored in the address data area 131 of the RAM
13. The storing of address data can be performed after the playback
device is turned on, a disk is mounted, and the playback button 22
of the remote control 201 is pressed. The address data can be
obtained directly from the buffer 2 without going through the
decoder 3 (see FIG. 1).
[0043] In the description below, the title numbers stored in the
disk will be represented by "n" and the chapter numbers of these
titles will be represented by "m".
[0044] When the user presses the list button 23 of the remote
control 201 (S41), the OSD screen data for the number of tags
displayed on a screen (four in the case of the example shown in
FIG. 3) is retrieved from the OSD data 122 of the ROM 12. This is
converted into bitmap data to be displayed on the screen and is
transferred to the OSD work area 132 of the RAM 13 (S42). This
stored OSD screen data is then sent to the decoder 3 (S43). The
decoder 3 stores the received data in the display screen area 401
(S44). At this point, the decoder 3 is informed of the number of
titles recorded on the disk and a reference value for brightness
levels used in displaying the small-frame images for the selection
screen. When playback is begun and the increasing brightness level
reaches the reference value, the corresponding small-frame image is
used in the selection screen as the starting frame for the chapter.
The decoder 3 uses the given number of titles to sequentially
insert title numbers, and this data is stored in the display screen
area 401. The use of numbers as the symbols representing title
numbers is just one method. Of course, depending on the purpose, it
would also be possible to use other types of symbols or simple
identifiers or names that allow programs to be identified.
[0045] Next, the address data for the first chapter (m=1) of the
first title (n=1) is retrieved from the address data area 131 and
is sent to the driver module 1 and the decoder module 3 (S45). The
driver module 1 begins playing back the information starting at the
playback starting position of the disk corresponding to the address
data (S46). The decoder 3 reduces the image of the playback signal
and stores the small-frame image data in the display frame area
401. The small-frame image data is stored in a predetermined
position in the display screen area 401 so that the small-frame
image is placed at a position (19a in FIG. 3) in the selection
screen corresponding to the chapter number (m=1). The decoder 3
also stores the data for the increased brightness in the tag of
title 1 in the display screen area 401.
[0046] Then, similar operations are performed to place a
small-frame image of the next chapter (m=2) at the corresponding
chapter number position (the reduced frame 19b from the same
figure), and this data is stored in the display screen area 401.
The small frame of each chapter is placed in its appropriate
position in this manner, completing the selection screen for the
first title in the display screen area 401 (S47).
[0047] Next, if the user presses the cursor buttons 27 to select a
tag having the number n, i.e., to select the n.sup.th title (S48),
the small frames of the chapters of the title are placed in their
respective positions, and operation S45-operation S47 are performed
to complete the selection screen for the selected title.
[0048] If the user selects a frame using the cursor buttons 27
(S49), the border lines around the selected frame are displayed
thicker to indicate that the frame is selected.
[0049] As described above, FIG. 3 shows a selection screen where
n=2 is selected and m=2 is selected. If the image that the user
wants to view is this chapter, the user presses the select button
25 on the remote control 201. This causes a command for exiting the
selection operation to be sent to the decoder module 3, and the
address data for the chapter is sent to the driver module 1
(S50).
[0050] When this command is received, the decoder module 3 deletes
the OSD screen data and stops frame reduction operations. The
driver module 1 plays back information from the corresponding
chapter. This causes the images from the chapter to be displayed
full-screen (S51), and the operation is finished.
[0051] This embodiment is implemented for DVD disks, but the
present invention is not restricted to this. The present invention
can also provide similar advantages when implemented for other
recording media in which title data is recorded beforehand, e.g.,
other types of disks and tape media as well as semiconductor-based
recording media such as memory.
[0052] The selection screen described above is the same regardless
of what recording media is used to record title data. Thus, the
present invention allows the user to select programs to be viewed
using a common set of operations.
[0053] Also, the user can look through multiple chapters of a
title, and titles can be selected quickly using buttons. Thus, the
contents of all or at least part of the programs stored on the disk
can be easily known.
[0054] In the present invention, means for selecting frames using
multiple reduced frames and button operations can also be applied
to the selection of playback conditions, e.g., selection of
multi-angle frames, the selection of audio playback and languages,
and the like. Multi-angle frames are provided in chapters by the
program producer. In such cases, the availability of the
multi-angle feature is displayed in the chapter frame and address
data for multi-angle frames are output from the disk.
[0055] If the user sees the multi-angle option displayed and
presses the multi-angle button 28 on the remote control 201 (see
FIG. 2), the selection screen display program 121 replaces the
chapter with multi-angle images and performs operation S41 through
operation S51 to arrange and display multiple reduced multi-angle
frames. FIG. 5 shows an example of these type of frames (selection
frames).
[0056] The user operates the cursor buttons 27 to select (surround
with thick lines) an angle frame to view and presses the select
button 25. That frame is then played back full-screen.
[0057] Regarding the selection of playback conditions, the data for
the various playback conditions are also output when playback of
the disk is begun, so multiple conditions can be displayed on the
screen and selected using the method described above.
[0058] FIG. 6 shows an example of a selection screen where
selection of playback conditions involves making a selection from
multiple types of audio. The different types of audio are displayed
according to the types of audio information. A single screen can
display a list of audio information types available on the disk,
and a desired audio information type can be quickly selected. In
FIG. 6, the audio information types are listed as MPEG, Dolby AC3,
and two systems of linear PCM, which are international standards of
DVD disk audio formats. Of these, the Dolby AC3 type is
selected.
[0059] Next, when the select button 25 is pressed, Dolby AC3 audio
is played back.
[0060] In addition, the means of the present invention described
above can be used to display small-frame images for playback
condition options instead of displaying these playback condition
options (e.g., audio format, language, playback mode), thus
allowing the different playback conditions to be listed and
selected using the same simple operations that were described
above.
Embodiment 2
[0061] FIG. 7 shows an embodiment in which information recording
capabilities are added to a playback device. Recorded information
can be played back using selection operations similar to those from
embodiment 1. The architecture used for playback is omitted in the
figure to simplify the drawing.
[0062] In this embodiment, a program is added to the selection
screen display program 121 to have the system control module 9 save
recording data. Furthermore, a write-able memory is used for the
ROM 12, and a recording data area 123, for storing recording data,
is included in the ROM 12.
[0063] When a camera is used to record images, an image signal from
a camera 74 is converted to a digital image signal by an image A/D
converter 72. Also, an audio signal from a microphone 75 is
converted to a digital audio signal by an audio A/D converter 73.
The two digital signals are encoded by an encoder 71 and then
recorded to a disk by the driver module 1. The recording operation
is started by pressing the record button 30 on the remote control
201. The position on the disk at which recording is to be started
is indicated by position information address data retrieved from
the disk. The system control module 9 stores the address data in
the recording data area 123.
[0064] If the images are to be formed as titles and chapters
contained in titles, the address data for title starting positions
are also stored.
[0065] The contents of the recording data area 123 are similar to
the contents of the address data area 131 when playback is started.
When performing playback, the data from the recording data area 123
is used and the operations in operation S41 through S51 from
embodiment 1 are performed, thus allowing the selection of images
to be viewed in a similar manner as embodiment 1.
[0066] The data stored in the recording data area 123 can be
recorded all at once to free space on the disk. If the disk is to
be played back on a different information recording/playback device
or information playback device, the same selection screens as
described above can be generated by providing the selection screen
displaying program 121 modified to retrieve recorded data from the
disk.
Embodiment 3
[0067] As an example of how a system combining an information
recording/playback device and a camera can be used, a regular user
could record various types of events such as weddings, vacations,
and school field days. If a stream consists of a continuous scene
created by pressing the record button 30 of the remote control 201
(see FIG. 2) to begin recording and by pressing the stop button 26
to stop recording, the recordings will be a set of a plurality of
streams.
[0068] If this set of recordings is referred to as a video program,
the recording units of a video program could be the event, the
date, the time, the location, or the like. The units to be used
will be based on what the user wants. If the unit used is the date
and time, then time data can be obtained from a clock generally
provided inside the information recording/playback device, and this
data would be converted to symbols representing the video program.
If the unit used is the event, location, or the like, character
buttons can be provided on the remote control 201, and the user
would use these buttons to enter the name (or shortened names) of
the event, location, or the like. This would be converted to
symbols representing the video program.
[0069] In this embodiment, a video program formed from a plurality
of streams is recorded as described above. To playback the recorded
program, small-frame images representative of the plurality of
streams are displayed for each video program, and a desired
representative small-frame image is selected from the resulting
selection screen. Then, this stream is enlarged full-screen and
played back.
[0070] To implement this embodiment, the encoder module 71 shown in
FIG. 7 and a decoder module not shown in FIG. 7 are both made
capable at least of image compression/encoding that generates
I-pictures. Furthermore, a program is added to the selection screen
display program 121 shown in FIG. 7 that makes the system control
module 9 perform the operations described below.
[0071] For recording operations, data for the symbol entered by the
user for a video program as described above are stored in the
recording data area 123 (see FIG. 7) of the ROM 12. At the same
time, the address data for the starting position on the disk of the
video program is also stored. Furthermore, the address data for the
starting positions on the disk of the streams are also stored in
the recording data area 123. This address data is the address data
obtained from the disk when the record button 30 is pressed to
record the stream.
[0072] For playback operations, an OSD screen is displayed when the
list button 23 is pressed. The video program symbols stored in the
recording data area 123 are displayed in the in the selection
screen tags of the OSD screen. Using the symbol data, the address
data, and the stream address data for the video program stored in
the recording data area 123, the streams of each video program are
played in sequence. The first I-picture of a stream is used as the
representative small frame displayed on the selection screen. When
an I-picture is displayed, playback of the next stream is started
immediately.
[0073] In image compression/encoding systems such as MPEG1 and
MPEG2, which are set forth as international standards, video is
created from three types of field frames: I-pictures, P-pictures,
and B-pictures. Of these, compression and encoding in I-pictures
are performed solely within the frame and can exist independently
as static images. I-pictures can be obtained from the decoder
module 3.
[0074] FIG. 8 shows an example of a selection screen provided by
this embodiment. Dates are displayed in the tags, and the first
I-pictures from the plurality of streams in the January 1 video
program are reduced and displayed as representative small frames
(S1-S9). A fourth representative small frame S4 is displayed. The
select button 25 is pressed to set up the frame to be viewed, and
that stream is subsequently played back full-screen from the
beginning as in embodiment 1.
[0075] The various types of data stored in the recording data area
123 can be recorded in free space in the disk. If the disk is to be
played back on a different information recording/playback device or
information playback device, the same selection screens as
described above can be generated by providing a selection screen
displaying program 121 that has been modified to retrieve different
types of data from the disk.
[0076] Also, the buttons on the remote control 201 can be provided
on a side surface or a rear surface of the camera. This makes the
camera easy to use.
Embodiment 4
[0077] The following is a description of an embodiment in which a
user-selected frame is used as the representative small frame for a
stream rather than an I-picture as in embodiment 3. After recording
a plurality of streams forming a video program to a disk, these
streams are played back. When a frame that the user wants to use as
a representative frame is displayed, the select button 25 of the
remote control 201 is pressed. The time between when playback of
the stream starts and when the select button 25 is pressed can be
measured using a timer that is generally provided in the
information recording/playback device. This time serves as data
used to extract the representative small frame.
[0078] In this embodiment, the selection screen display program 121
is modified from the program in embodiment 3 so that the following
operations are performed by the system control module 9.
[0079] When recording, the time data described above for the frame
to be used as the representative small frame is stored in the
recording data area 123 or a predetermined free area in the disk.
During playback, the representative small frames are retrieved
using the data stored in the recording data area 123 or the free
space on the disk and displayed in the selection screen.
[0080] The representative small frames do not have to all be
user-selected. Certain streams can use I-pictures, and the user can
indicate which method to use. If all the representative small
frames are to be selected by the user, it would of course be
possible to use a compression/encoding system that does not
generate I-pictures.
Embodiment 5
[0081] The following is a description of an embodiment where, for
each stream, the user provides an independently created static
image or character image to serve as the representative small frame
for the stream, and this is recorded onto the disk.
[0082] In addition to using a static image mode on a camera, a
static image can be produced using a dedicated static image camera
(e.g., an electronic still camera), a scanner, or the like.
Character images can be produced through keyboard entry.
[0083] In this embodiment, an area that is large enough to hold
static images or character images is set up in the recording data
area 123 or the free space of the disk. In addition, a table is set
up to associate the static images or character images with their
corresponding streams.
[0084] The selection screen image display program 121 of this
embodiment is modified from the program in embodiment 3 so that the
system control module 9 performs the following operations.
[0085] After shooting a video program made up of a plurality of
streams, static images or character images are created for the
streams, and these are stored in the free area described above.
When doing this, the area is placed in a data standby state so that
data can be recorded into the table described above. Next, as
described in reference to embodiment 2, the disk is played back and
a selection screen for the corresponding video program is
displayed. A selection is made from the small frames for the
streams, and the select button 25 is pressed. If the select button
25 is pressed while the data standby state is in effect, the stream
is not played back and instead the starting position address data
for the stream resulting from the frame selection is sent to the
area where the standby state is in effect. The address data is
recorded into the table as data associating the stream with a
stored static image or character image. Then the area is released
from the standby state.
[0086] In this manner, the table is completed by associating each
stream with a static image or a character image.
[0087] During playback, the address data for streams are retrieved.
The table is used to extract the static image or character image
associated with the data, and this is then displayed as a
representative small frame.
[0088] Of course with this embodiment as well, the
compression/encoding system can be a method that does not generate
I-pictures.
Embodiment 6
[0089] The following is a description where a plurality of streams
is grouped together and a single representative small frame is
obtained from the set of streams. In this case, the set of streams
forms a sub-program, and a single video program is formed from a
plurality of sub-programs. In other words, there is a hierarchical
structure of stream, sub-program, and video program.
[0090] In this embodiment, symbols are applied to a sub-program
each time a sub-program is formed, and the streams in the
sub-program are played back to allow the user to select one
representative small frame.
[0091] The selection screen display program 121 of this embodiment
is modified from the program in embodiment 3 so that the system
control module 9 performs the following operations.
[0092] The disk is played back as described with reference to
embodiment 2, and a corresponding selection screen for the video
program is displayed. Next, symbols to be assigned to the
sub-programs that will be formed are set up. The user selects the
symbols to be numbers, time or date, events, locations, or the
like. The symbol data are determined by having the user enter
symbols using the buttons. Next, the user selects streams from the
selection screen to be included in a sub-program and presses the
select button 25. When the selection of the streams is completed,
the select button 25 is pressed twice. This indicates that the
sub-program is completed.
[0093] Before the sub-program is completed, the data for the video
program symbols, the starting position address data, the symbolic
data for the sub-program, and the starting position address data
for each of the plurality of streams in the sub-program are
associated with each other and stored in the recording data area
123 or free space in the disk. Next, the plurality of streams
corresponding to the completed sub-program is played back, and the
user selects a single representative small frame. As with
embodiment 4, this representative small frame data is indicated by
the time elapsed from the start time of the stream, and this time
data is stored in association with the items of data described
above.
[0094] By using the relational data stored in this manner, selected
frames for sub-programs can be displayed. The selected frames are
similar to those from FIG. 8, and an example is shown in FIG. 9.
The code SUB on the representative small frames indicate that they
are for sub-programs, and the user-selected small frames are
displayed there. Instead of SUB, the displayed code can be a symbol
provided for the sub-program.
[0095] When the user selects a desired representative small frame,
the story contained in the sub-program is played back in
sequence.
[0096] In addition, the relational data described above can be used
to display sub-program symbols in tags. For each sub-program,
selected frames can be displayed for the plurality of streams in
the sub-program.
[0097] This embodiment is useful when a video program is created
from a very large number of streams.
[0098] Of course in this embodiment as well, the
compression/encoding system can be a system that does not generate
I-pictures.
[0099] Conversely, a system that generates I-pictures can be used
as the compression/encoding system, and instead of having the user
select the representative small frames, the first I-picture from a
selected stream can be used as the representative small frame.
[0100] Also, an image displaying representative small frames can
itself be a single image file.
[0101] Furthermore, it would also be possible to place the
representative small frame for a stream inside the stream or near
the stream, forming a one-to-one correspondence between the stream
and its representative small frame. Then, the representative small
frames for the streams can be collected to create the selection
screen. In this case, if streams are deleted or added, the
selection screen is newly created by collecting the representative
small frames for the streams. Thus, the adding and deleting of
streams can be performed more easily than creating the selection
screen as a single image file.
Embodiment 7
[0102] FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of a selection screen
obtained by running the selection screen display program 121 (see
FIG. 1) of the present invention.
[0103] In the selection screen 17, numbers are displayed in the
frames (hereinafter referred to as "tags") 18 at the upper part of
the screen based on the number of titles stored on the disk, and
representative frames 19 from the titles are displayed. In this
example, the disk contains 18 titles, and representative frames
19a-19i are displayed from the nine titles, from title number 1
through title number 9.
[0104] The display brightness of the title number 2 is increased (a
highlighted display section 62) in order to indicate that the
second title number 2 (19b) is selected.
[0105] The title number of the selected title and the total number
of chapters in the title are displayed in a detailed display
section 63.
[0106] In this example, four tags can be displayed in one screen.
In a display for 18 titles, the first tag can be assigned, for
example, title number 1 through title number 9, and the second tag
can be assigned title number 10 through title number 18. In this
example, the third and fourth tags are not displayed. Of course,
the display method can be changed as appropriate, e.g., display the
tag frame but do not add the title numbers.
[0107] The OSD screen includes the tags 18, the numerals displayed
in the tags, the title numbers for small frames 19a-19i (Title
1-Title 9), and the borders separating the small frames. The OSD
screen does not include the small frames. The following is a
description of the operations performed by the system control
module 11 according to the selection frame display program 121 of
the present invention, with references to the flowchart shown in
FIG. 11.
[0108] The operations begin, for example, after the address data
indicating title and chapter playback starting positions of the
images recorded on the DVD disk have been stored in the address
data area 131 of the RAM 13. The storing of the address data can be
performed, for example, after the playback device is turned on, a
disk is mounted, and the play button 22 of the remote control 201
is pressed.
[0109] At the start of the operations (S110), the system waits for
the list button 23 of the remote control 201 to be pressed by the
user (S111).
[0110] Up to nine representative frames can be displayed on the
display screen. Thus, if the number of titles stored on the disk is
10 or more (S112), a selection screen for selecting a title is
displayed (S113).
[0111] It would also be possible to eliminate the branching for
this step (S113) and always display the title selection screen.
[0112] The title selection screen displays tags (in the case of
FIG. 10 the number of tags is two) that indicate the range of title
numbers displayed on the display screen.
[0113] Playback is started and the representative frame images are
used in the selection screen as the starting frames for the
titles.
[0114] When a title is selected from the title selection screen
(S114), a chapter selection screen is displayed for chapter
selection (S115).
[0115] Playback is started and the representative frame images are
used as the chapter images for the selection screen. When a chapter
is selected from the chapter selection screen (S116), the selected
chapter is played back (S117), and the operation is completed
(S118).
[0116] If there is only one chapter in the title selected from the
title selection screen, it would also be possible to have the
playback of the title begun immediately without going through the
chapter selection screen.
[0117] If the list button 23 of the remote control 201 is pressed
again without selecting a title or a chapter, the selection screen
is removed and the state from when the list button 23 of the remote
control 201 was pressed (right before the selection screen was
displayed) is restored.
[0118] FIG. 12 shows a flowchart describing the operations
performed in the title selection screen and the chapter selection
screen.
[0119] At the start of the operation (S140), the system waits for
the user to press either the cursor buttons 27 (S141) or the select
button 25 (S143) on the remote control 201. If a cursor button 27
is pressed, the brightness of the representative frame title number
in the title selection screen or the representative frame chapter
number in the chapter selection screen or the tag corresponding to
the cursor key (up, down, left, right) is increased (highlighted
display section), indicating that the item is selected (S142).
[0120] If the button to move the cursor right is pressed when a
title number or chapter number in the third column is selected, the
next title selection screen or chapter selection screen is
displayed if there is one, and the highlighted display section is
set to the first column.
[0121] If the button to move the cursor left is pressed when a
title number or chapter number in the first column is selected, the
previous title selection screen or chapter selection screen is
displayed if there is one, and the highlighted display section is
set to the third column.
[0122] If the button to move the cursor up is pressed when a title
number or chapter number in the first row is selected, the
highlighted display section is set to a tag.
[0123] If the button to move the cursor down is pressed when a
title number or chapter number in the third row is selected, the
highlighted display section is not moved.
[0124] If the button to move the cursor right is pressed when the
highlighted display section is at a tag, the tag to the right is
highlighted and the display screen corresponding to the tag is
displayed if there is a valid tag to the right. For example, if the
cursor is moved from "titles 1-9" to "titles 10-18", the frames for
the titles 10-18 are displayed.
[0125] If the button to move the cursor left is pressed when the
highlighted display section is at a tag, the tag to the left is
highlighted and the display screen corresponding to the tag is
displayed if there is a valid tag to the left.
[0126] If the button to move the cursor up is pressed when the
highlighted display section is at a tag, the highlighted display
section does not move.
[0127] If the button to move the cursor down is pressed when the
highlighted display section is at a tag, the highlighted display
section is moved to a title number or a chapter number in the first
row.
[0128] If there is no button input for at least a second (S114),
the video for the title number or the chapter number is played back
as a small frame (S145).
[0129] Playback can be performed as normal playback, frame-by-frame
advancing playback, slow playback, skipping playback, fast-forward
playback, and the like. The playback need not be restricted to the
small-frame images for the highlighted title number or chapter
number, and can be performed for any of the small frames displayed
in the selection screen 17.
[0130] This playback of a small frame can be performed with or
without audio.
[0131] In this embodiment, fast-forward playback with no audio is
used.
[0132] After playing a title or chapter to the end, the system can
be set up so that the title or the chapter is played back again
from the starting position of the title or chapter (repeat
playback).
[0133] The time limit for button input can, of course, be any
interval including 0 seconds.
[0134] If the select button is pressed, the highlighted title
number or chapter number is set up as the selected title number or
chapter number (S146), and the operation is done (S147).
[0135] If a tag is highlighted when the select button is pressed, a
title number or chapter number is not selected. In this embodiment,
the upper left small frame in the selection screen will be selected
in such cases.
[0136] In FIG. 10 for the embodiment described above, the
representative frames 19a-19i are small compared to the selection
screen 17. However, the representative frame 19a can be, for
example, the same size as the selection screen 17. In this case,
the other representative frames 19b-19i would be displayed on top
of the representative frame 19a. The tags 18 shown in FIG. 10 may
be eliminated. The tags 18 are not required and other display
methods can be used as long as they allow titles to be identified
and selected.
[0137] In the description of the above embodiment, the starting
frames are displayed in the selection screen as small frames, but
the present invention is not restricted to this. It would also be
possible to display multiple starting frames at any reduction rate
and to have these displayed in an overlapping manner. When a frame
is selected, it would be played back and displayed full-screen. An
example of this is shown in FIG. 13.
[0138] Of course, it would also be possible to have one of the
starting frames displayed full-screen while the other starting
frames are displayed overlapping over it. An example of this is
shown in FIG. 14.
[0139] It would also be possible to use a section cut out from a
full-screen image and used as a representative frame or a starting
frame. An example of this will be described below, with references
to FIG. 15 through FIG. 18.
[0140] FIG. 15 shows a representative frame 19as and a
representative frame 19am cut out from a full-screen image using
the center of the image as a reference.
[0141] FIG. 16 shows a representative frame 19as and a
representative frame 19am cut out from a full-screen image using
the lower right corner as a reference. The reference position does
not have to be the lower right corner and can instead be the lower
left corner, the upper right corner, or the upper left corner.
[0142] In FIG. 17, the representative frame 19am from FIG. 16 is
used as the representative frame 19a displayed in the selection
screen 17. The original size is retained.
[0143] In FIG. 18, the representative frame 19am from FIG. 16 is
used as the representative frame 19a displayed in the selection
screen 17. The size of the cut-out is enlarged.
[0144] In the descriptions for FIG. 17 an FIG. 18, the
representative frame 19am from FIG. 16 was used, but it would also
be possible to use the representative frame 19as from FIG. 16, the
representative frame 19am from FIG. 15, or the representative frame
19as from FIG. 15.
[0145] In the above description, the center, the lower right
corner, the lower left corner, the upper right corner, or the upper
left corner of the frame is used as a reference for cutting out a
section. However, these positions were used as references in the
description just to simplify the description.
[0146] Thus, the position to be used as a reference is not
restricted to these positions, and any position on the frame can be
used. The reference position can be set appropriately to allow the
displayed content of the frame to be confirmed. The cut-out frame
can be cut out from any position and at any size that allows the
contents displayed in the frame to be confirmed. Also, the frame
can be played back and displayed at any size.
[0147] Also, in the means used to display symbols corresponding to
multiple programs recorded on a recording medium, the symbols
corresponding to programs need not be symbols. Instead, programs
can be identified using identifiers or display methods that
identify programs or through frames associated with programs.
[0148] Furthermore, in the means used to display symbols
corresponding to multiple programs recorded on a recording medium,
symbols need not necessarily be displayed on the screen. For
example, if the multiple programs recorded on a recording medium
need not be selected using symbols, there is no need to display
symbols corresponding to the programs on the screen. Thus, it would
be possible to omit the means for displaying symbols on the screen
corresponding to multiple programs.
[0149] In the description above, DVD disks are used, but the
present invention is not restricted to this. The present invention
can provide similar advantages when implemented for other disk
recording media, tape recording media, and semiconductor media such
as memory.
[0150] Also, in the description above, OSD screens are used, but
the present invention is not restricted to this. Of course, it
would be possible to use any type of display method that provides
the advantages of the present invention's selection screen, the
presentation of the representative frames, and the selection
operations for representative frames.
[0151] According to the present invention, symbols provided for
individual programs, or identifiers and selected symbols
identifying programs, or representative frames from a plurality of
scenes from a program of an identifier that can identify a program
are displayed on a screen. This allows the recorded contents to be
listed easily, and a user can view a video through easy selection
operations.
[0152] With regard to the means for reducing the starting frames
from multiple scenes in a program with a selected symbol and
displaying these on the screen, if any reduction ratio including no
reduction can be used, then it would be possible to allow a user to
select a video to view by providing a full-screen display of a
representative frame from one scene from a program while
representative frames of other scenes from the program are
displayed in an overlapping manner over the full-screen frame.
[0153] With regard to the means for displaying on the screen the
representative frames from multiple scenes in a program using any
reduction ratio, it would also be possible to allow a user to
select a video to view by displaying the representative frames of
scenes from a program so that they overlap each other.
[0154] Furthermore, the reduction ratio of a selected
representative frame can be changed to a different reduction ratio
and played back. Thus, a user can select a representative frame and
view the video at a desired size.
[0155] Not all of the representative frames (of the scenes from a
program) displayed on the screen have to be reduced when displayed
on the screen. It would also be possible for any one of the
representative frames to be displayed full-screen without
reduction. Furthermore, by playing back and displaying that stream
on the screen, the contents of all or part of the stream can be
understood, thus making selection easier.
[0156] The operations are the same regardless of the recording
medium. For example, with disks, inconveniences resulting from
different operations having to be performed for disks can be
avoided.
* * * * *