Video capture device

Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing – Local trick play processing – With randomly accessible medium

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C386S349000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06556767

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an apparatus for capturing, recording and playing input motion pictures and particularly to an apparatus for playing motion pictures from a free scene (position).
BACKGROUND TECHNIQUE
A conventional video recording/playing apparatus has such a configuration as shown in FIG.
10
.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, the video recording/playing apparatus comprises an information processing system
21
, and a video input device
22
. The video input device
22
is means for inputting analog motion pictures and is carried out in a video camera, a video tape recorder (VTR), a television set, or the like. The case of a video camera is shown here as an example. The information processing system
21
is a system for recording motion pictures inputted through the video input device
22
and has a means for digitizing analog motion pictures inputted through the video input device
22
, and a means for recording the motion pictures digitized by the digitizing means.
The outline of processing in the conventional video recording/playing apparatus having the configuration shown in
FIG. 10
will be described below with reference to FIG.
11
.
FIG. 11
is a flow chart of processing for specifying scene-changed points with respect to a series of continuous still images (motion pictures) inputted through the video input device
22
, for example, for the purpose of head-review playing.
In the processing, capturing motion pictures is first started (step
501
) and a one-frame's or one-field's analog still image inputted through the video input device
22
is digitized (step
502
). The motion pictures inputted here through the video input device
22
have a standardized format such as NTSC, PAL or SECAM.
In the aforementioned processing, the digitized still image is then stored in a main storage device contained in the information processing system
21
(step
503
). The still image is then compared with a still image stored just before the still image (step
504
) and a judgment is made as to whether there is any scene change or not (step
505
). In this occasion, the judgment as to whether there is any scene change or not is performed by comparing two still images pixel by pixel, calculating differences between pixels and calculating the sum of differences between all pixels. When, for example, the sum exceeds an arbitrary threshold, it is judged that there is some scene change.
When it is judged in the step
505
that there is some scene change, the point of time counted from the start of the capturing of motion pictures is stored in the main storage device (step
506
). A judgment is then made as to whether the capture is completed or not (step
507
) and, if the capture is not completed, the situation of the routine goes back to the step
502
to repeat the processing. If the capture is completed, a series of non-compressed motion pictures is stored in an auxiliary storage device contained in the information processing system
21
(step
508
) and the processing is terminated.
The aforementioned conventional video recording/playing apparatus then displays a list of still images of the scene-changed positions on a display device contained in the information processing system
21
, extracts the point of time stored in the main storage device in the step
506
and corresponding to an arbitrary still image designated from the displayed list by a user through an input device contained in the information processing system
21
and plays a series of motion pictures stored in the auxiliary storage device in the step
508
so that the head-review playing of the series of motion pictures is started from a still image (position) corresponding to the point of time.
A technique in which the change of a scene in motion pictures is extracted automatically so that the motion pictures inclusive of the scene-changed information are encoded, has been disclosed in JP-A-6-133305.
A technique for real-time displaying motion pictures on a display device, or the like, has been described in the magazine “Interface”, April issue, pp.102-109, 1996, published by CQ Publishing Co.
In the conventional technique as shown in
FIG. 10
, however, there is no consideration of the quantity of data stored in the auxiliary storage device because a series of non-compressed motion pictures is captured and a scene change is detected so that the series of motion pictures is stored as non-compressed data in the auxiliary storage device.
Further, in JP-A-6-133305, there is no consideration of processing speed because the scene-changed information is included in the compressed motion pictures so that the scene-changed information must be retrieved from the motion pictures from the first to the last before playing whenever playing is tried.
Further, in the technique described in the magazine “Interface”, there is no consideration of displaying of motion pictures on a display device and recording of the motion pictures in an auxiliary storage device, or the like.
An object of the present invention is to provide a video capture device for real-time and simultaneously capturing motion pictures inputted through a video input device, as non-compressed motion pictures and as motion pictures which are compressed in a relatively high compression ratio by using a compressing technique and which can be played in high picture quality, a video recording/playing apparatus having the video capture device attached thereto, and a video input device.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a video recording/playing apparatus for performing video recording/playing in which an arbitrary still image in the aforementioned non-compressed motion pictures and an arbitrary still image in the aforementioned compressed motion pictures are associated with each other on the basis of information obtained on the basis of the non-compressed motion pictures to thereby make it possible to facilitate recording/playing of the motion pictures.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a video capture device in which odd-numbered field data and even-numbered field data in an interlace signal inputted through the aforementioned video input device are converted into data of different sizes and different color formats to be transferred to a different area or a different system when the aforementioned non-compressed motion pictures are captured in the aforementioned information processing system, and a video recording/playing apparatus having the video capture device attached thereto and for performing recording/playing of motion pictures inputted through the aforementioned video input device while monitoring the motion pictures through a display device contained in the aforementioned information processing system.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A video capture device attached to a video recording/playing apparatus having a main storage device and a display device and for recording motion pictures, comprises: a video decoder for receiving analog motion pictures and digitizing the input motion pictures; a motion picture compressing portion for compressing the digitized motion pictures into compressed motion pictures; and a motion picture input interface portion for transferring the digitized motion pictures outputted from the video decoder to the main storage device and the display device and, at the same time, transferring the compressed motion pictures outputted from the motion picture compressing portion to the main storage device.
A video recording/playing apparatus provided with a main storage device and a display device and for recording motion pictures, wherein the apparatus comprises: a video decoder for receiving analog motion pictures and digitizing the input motion pictures; a motion picture compressing portion for compressing the digitized motion pictures into compressed motion pictures; and a motion picture input interface portion for transferring the digitized motion pictures outputted from the video decoder to the main storage device and the display device and, at the same time, transferring

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