Optics: motion pictures – Methods
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-06
2004-11-16
Gray, David (Department: 2851)
Optics: motion pictures
Methods
C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06819394
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a motion picture editing method and a motion picture editing apparatus editing motion picture data played and output from at least one motion picture file stored on a recording medium and having a motion picture data body arranged in temporal order along with time management information.
BACKGROUND ART
Multimedia information employed for the so-called streaming playback playing data while receiving the same is described with reference to FIG.
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. Each multimedia information, independently stored as a single completed file per certain unit, is formed by header control information indicating the attribute, the property etc. of the overall multimedia information included in this file and a multimedia data body.
The header control information includes control information related to the overall multimedia information stored in the file, such as a file identifier (file ID) for specifying the file, the length of the multimedia data body, a time required for playing the overall file, the average/maximum bit rate, the types and the number of media included in the multimedia data body, the dependence relation between the media (an upper layer and a lower layer of hierarchized information, a right channel, a left channel, a center and a surround of an audio etc.), the association between the media (Japanese/English/French/voice guidance and subtitles of images and voices, Japanese/English of close captions etc.) and the like.
The header control information also includes information related to systematic control, related to only partial media included in the multimedia information but necessary for playing the file, such as the frame size/resolution of images, a coding method (identification of ITU-Recommendation H.261, H.262, H.263, H26L, ISO standard 11172 (MPEG-1), 13818-2 (MPEG-2), 14496-2 (MPEG-4) or the like, for example), parameters (the profile, the level, selection of an option mode etc.) in the coding system and the like.
Further, the header control information also includes information for storing the position of the multimedia information, such as index information specifying random-accessible positions, proper positions of temporally continuous multimedia information, stored marker information and the like.
The index information is utilized for deciding an access position halfway through the multimedia information, deciding playback object information for playing information in a skipping manner at a high speed or the like. Specifically, an intra-frame/field coded frame (intra-coded frame/field) or the like is specified as the index information when coded motion picture data is referred to.
This is because the intra-frame/field coded frame is a proper access point since the same is independently coded with no supplementation from precedent and subsequent information (frames) or the like and can be individually decoded and played while subsequent motion picture information can be sequentially decoded and played on the basis thereof.
When intra-frame coded frames are periodically inserted as in the GOP (Group of Pictures) structure in the coding system such as MPEG-1 or MPEG-2, for example, the periodic intra-frame coded frames (heads of GOPs) can be specified with the index information respectively. Further, the quantity of information of the index information can be reduced by providing only indices specifying skipped intra-frame coded frames as one for two GOPs or one for three GOPs.
Thus, when the index information specifies only periodic intra-frame coded frames, high-speed playback can be readily implemented at a constant rate by merely tracing the index information in high-speed playback.
When scene change or large motion/change is coded by automatically inserting detected output or an intra-frame coded frame, the index information may also specify the automatically inserted intra-frame coded frame, in addition to the aforementioned periodic intra-frame coded frames. In this case, random-accessible positions can be set in more detail although periodicity of positions specified by the index information is not guaranteed.
The data body of the multimedia information is arranged and stored in order of playback times in such a state that various types of media such as motion pictures, voices/audios etc. are intermixed. The order of storage is decided only with reference to the times, regardless of the types of the media.
While the data may be stored along the order in filming/recording for implementing storage in the order of playback times, the order of storage is decided in consideration of processing (decoding) delays between reading and outputting information, which vary with the media. When simultaneously filmed/recorded motion picture and voice are to be simultaneously played, the motion picture having a larger decoding delay is stored in advance by this delay time.
The data body is stored in temporal order as described above, and hence the data may simply be sequentially read from the head of the file, decoded and thereafter output when the same is played. When a server keeps a file storing multimedia information and transmits the data of the file through the Internet in response to access from a user, for example, the burden on the server can be extremely effectively lightened due to the aforementioned characteristic since the server may simply sequentially read and send the data body.
As described later, a time stamp indicating a read/playback time is appended to each packet of the data body, in order to control the timing of reading and playback. The server is required to send the data body at the time according to the time stamp value of the read data body packet.
This access mode of the multimedia information is referred to as streaming transfer (streaming service).
As to the data body of the multimedia information, input information may be stored as such, or the information may be compressed and coded by the aforementioned coding system. Further, the data body is divided into packets of a proper size, and stored as paketed information. Therefore, the data body of the multimedia information in the file is formed by a packet train of the information of each medium.
The packets of this data body are created and stored for the information of the respective media, and a single packet basically includes only data of a single medium. The lengths of the packets may be fixed or variable. Further, the lengths (the maximum lengths or average lengths in the case of the variable lengths) of the packets may completely vary with the media, or may be substantially similar to each other regardless of the types of the media.
When the packets have fixed lengths, the lengths are decided in response to systematic conditions such as sector lengths, record lengths, track lengths etc. of recording media, for example. When the quantity of information (bit rate) per hour with respect to the data of the media is constant, the quantity of information coincides with time intervals and hence the packet lengths can be set in response to temporal conditions.
When the packets have variable lengths, the unit of packeting can be decided in response to the properties of the data (coded information) of the media. The; simplest unit is matched with the unit of coding/decoding/playback output processing such as one coded unit frame for voices, one frame/field for motion pictures or the like.
In the aforementioned example, however, the quantity of information is disadvantageously too small for voices or too large for motion pictures. Therefore, the data body is packeted by combining a plurality of coded unit frames with each other for voices or further dividing coded information of one frame/field for motion pictures.
The unit for dividing coded information of motion pictures may be matched with a delimiter in the coded data structure such as a GOB (Group Of Blocks) in the coding system of ITU-Recommendation H.261, a GOB or an adaptive slice of Recommendation H.263, a slice of Recommendation H.262|ISO Standard 13818-2 (MPEG-2), a slice (video p
Hibi Keiichi
Nomura Toshio
Shioi Masahiro
Watanabe Shuichi
Conlin, Esq. David G.
Edwards & Angell LLP
Penny, Jr. John J.
Smith Arthur A
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