Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing – Local trick play processing – With randomly accessible medium
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-10
2002-04-09
Chevalier, Robert (Department: 2615)
Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing
Local trick play processing
With randomly accessible medium
C386S349000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06370316
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a moving picture retrieving and administrating apparatus and a related network system, enabling the users to perform the playback of moving pictures (or videos, or dynamic images) according to various search purposes and also facilitating the retrieving operation in finding out a desired moving picture from video data or database.
Various storing media, such as video tapes, magnetic disks, optical disks, video CDs, DVDs, and hard disks, are conventionally used to store picture images. The picture images stored in these storing media can be played back by using a moving picture playback apparatus or a personal computer.
For example, the Unexamined Japanese Patent publication No. 9-247602 discloses a moving picture retrieving apparatus which allows each user to select his/her favorite title in retrieving the video data and displays a plurality of screens corresponding to the selected title in response to a user's selection of the title.
FIG. 15
is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a conventional moving picture retrieving system. A data storing section
1501
, corresponding to the above hard disk, stores genre selecting screen information
1511
, video title selecting screen information
1512
, and various video files
1513
in advance. A playback section
1502
, functionally equivalent to a conventional playback board, decodes and plays a video file consisting of compressed moving pictures read from the data storing section
1501
. The playback section
1502
sends the decoded video data to a display data buffer
1507
.
A control section
1503
, constituted by a CPU or a comparable device, is functionally equivalent to the personal computer storing the software. A screen display section
1504
displays the genre selecting screen information
1511
, the video title selecting screen information
1512
, and the various video files
1513
stored in the data storing section
1501
, as well as various control buttons. An operator's input section
1505
is functionally equivalent to the pointing device, such as a keyboard, a mouse or the like.
A retrieval processing section
1506
is responsive to a video retrieving command entered by a user through the operator's input section
1505
, and fetches a designated video image file among the various video files
1513
stored in the data storing section
1501
to search a video scene according to the later described time search or scene search method. The retrieval processing section
1506
sends the retrieved video screen information to a playback section
1502
, and sends the information relevant to the retrieved video screen, such as time code, to the display data buffer
1507
. The display data buffer
1507
temporarily stores the data displayed on a screen of the screen display section
1504
.
FIG. 16
is a flowchart showing the operation of the conventional moving picture retrieving apparatus of FIG.
15
.
The data storing section
1501
stores the video data which are compression coded and classified into a plurality of genres according to their contents (step
1601
). Upon starting of an application software of this system activated by the user, the control section
1503
causes the data storing section
1501
to send the genre selecting screen information
1511
to the display data buffer
1507
. As a result, the screen display section
1504
displays a genre selecting screen (step
1602
). Then, the user selects one of the displayed genre names on the genre selecting screen by using the pointing device (step
1603
).
Then, the video title selecting screen information
1512
is read out from the data storing section
1501
.
FIG. 17
shows a video title selecting screen displayed by the screen display section
1504
. The video title selecting screen of
FIG. 17
includes a plurality of representative screen images each corresponding to a head screen image of video data. Reference numeral
1701
represents a video title, and reference numeral
1702
represents the total time of each video data (step
1604
).
The user selects one of the displayed video titles on the video title selecting screen by using the pointing device (step
1605
).
In response to the user's input, the retrieval processing section
1506
starts the retrieving operation. More specifically, the retrieving screen is displayed. The buttons for allowing the user to selectively designate the time search and the scene search are also displayed (step
1606
). The user selects either the time search or the scene search. The retrieval processing section
1506
performs the search selected by the user.
FIG. 18
shows the search result displayed on the screen of the screen display section
1504
. (step
1607
). In
FIG. 18
, reference numeral
1801
represents the time code.
According to the time search, the video data is retrieved at designated time intervals and the retrieved screen image and its time code are displayed for each designated time interval.
According to the scene search, a scene change point (i.e., a cut point) is detected and a representative screen image and its time code are displayed for each detected scene. Preferably, the representative screen image is a head screen image of each scene. For example, the Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-294923 discloses a technique relating to the scene change detecting method.
When the user operates the pointing device to designate the retrieved screen image or time code to select the playback (YES in step
1608
), the video file selected in the step
1605
is transmitted from the data storing section
1501
to the playback section
1502
. The playback section
1502
decodes the video data of the designated video file which are stored in a compressed condition. Moving pictures starting from the retrieved screen (i.e., representative frame of screen) selected in the step
1608
are stored in the display data buffer
1507
. Then, the playback operation is performed to display the moving pictures stored in the display data buffer
1507
(step
1609
).
It is then checked weather the user wants to continue the playback operation, i.e., whether the user desires to additionally play the video data of another video title (step
1610
). When the continuation of the playback operation is required (YES in FIG.
1610
), the above-described processing starting from step
1602
is repeated. Otherwise, the retrieval processing is terminated.
According to the above-described moving picture retrieving system, a plurality of representative screen images of video data corresponding to the video title selected by the user are automatically displayed and then the video data starting from the user's selected screen image is played. However, the user does not always want to watch the continuous or consecutive scenes which are serial on time base. If the user wants to play only his/her favorite scenes, it is necessary to pick up each of such scenes which are usually positioned at different portions of the video data. Performing the retrieving operation repetitively for detecting the head screen image of each scene is time-consuming and troublesome. It may be possible to construct new video data by connecting only the necessary scenes selected from the video data. In this case, a large capacity video data storage will be required.
Furthermore, the above-described conventional retrieving system requires the user to designate his/her favorite scene by selecting one of the displayed representative screen images without confirming the movement of a displayed objective or without knowing the contents of accompanying voice or sound. Thus, the user is usually forced to partly play some candidate scenes to check whether or not each candidate scene is the user's really requested scene.
If the user can easily remember the story or detailed contents of the video data by simply checking each representative screen image, the above-described conventional retrieving system will work properly. However, a long time may elapse since the last search
Tanaka Akiyoshi
Yamada Shin
Chevalier Robert
Israel Gopstein Clark & Brody
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
LandOfFree
Apparatus for retrieving and administrating moving pictures... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus for retrieving and administrating moving pictures..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus for retrieving and administrating moving pictures... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2869535