JP2009246775A - Image reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reproducing device that provides a suitable reproduced image for a viewer by varying a shutter speed as a parameter, set in photography, in reproduction. <P>SOLUTION: The image reproducing device reproduces a moving image which is photographed at a high frame rate and whose shutter speed value as a photographic parameters is recorded as metadata together. Then the image reproducing device includes a setting means (an operation means 107 and a shutter speed determination unit 201) of setting a reproduction shutter speed of the moving image to be reproduced. Further, the image reproducing device includes a selecting means (a display frame generation control unit 203) of selects frames to be used according to the reproduction shutter speed set by the setting means. Furthermore, the image reproducing device includes a generating means (a frame generation unit 108) of generating frames to be displayed from the frames selected by the selecting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image playback apparatus that plays back a moving image that is shot at a high frame rate and in which a shutter speed value that is a shooting parameter is recorded together as metadata.

  When shooting an image with a digital camera or digital video camera, it is common to specify various parameters and perform shooting according to the parameters. The image here includes both a moving image and a still image. Examples of various parameters include shutter speed, white balance, exposure, and the like.

  These parameters are set at the time of shooting, and an image is shot in a state according to the values. Therefore, basically parameters such as shutter speed are uniquely determined for each image, and at the time of reproduction, the recorded image is reproduced as it is based on the shutter speed setting at the time of shooting.

  Since the above various parameters determine the characteristics of the image, it is possible to capture the characteristics of the image as appropriate for the image by capturing with various parameters.

  For example, the technique described in Patent Document 1 changes and records the frame rate according to the image to be recorded at the time of shooting. Here, the frame rate is a parameter for changing the time resolution of an actual image, and can be regarded as synonymous with the shutter speed.

  By changing the frame rate, it is possible to shoot images with high temporal resolution for fast-moving content such as sports, and for other general content, images that change smoothly between images. Is possible.

  In recent years, it has become possible to take an image at an extremely high speed by increasing the speed of a sensor for taking an image. Until now, shooting of moving images at about 60 fps (frame per second) was the limit, but the feasibility of shooting at a frame rate of 600 fps or higher is increasing.

Using this sensor, the shutter speed is recorded as metadata in the image, and at the time of playback, a frame is displayed that combines and displays multiple frames based on the shutter speed recorded as metadata. Technology to do so is also possible.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-86499

  Since various parameters such as the shutter speed are set at the time of shooting, the viewer can only perform the playback depending on the parameters at the time of recording.

  For example, a moving image shot with a slow shutter speed is reproduced with the same shutter speed value at the time of reproduction, and thus is reproduced as a moving image with a low shutter speed value. That is, the viewer can be provided only with the reproduced image reflecting the shooting parameters intended at the time of shooting.

  However, some viewers may wish to perform playback with parameters different from the photographer's preferences. For example, it is easily conceivable that it may be desired to view an image with higher time resolution while viewing a reproduced image. At that time, the conventional technique cannot change the parameters at the time of shooting on the playback side for playback, so that there is a problem that the playback mode desired by the viewer cannot be provided.

  Similarly, depending on the display device used for reproduction, it may be possible to obtain a more appropriate reproduced image by reproducing at a shutter speed different from the shutter speed at the time of shooting.

  For example, when an image shot at a shutter speed of 1/60 sec is played back on a display device that can play back at 120 fps, a higher quality playback image can be obtained by playing back at a shutter speed of 1/120 sec with high time resolution. It should be.

  However, the conventional technique has a problem in that since the shutter speed cannot be changed at the time of reproduction, only an image having a shutter speed of 1/60 sec can be reproduced.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image reproducing apparatus capable of providing a viewer with an optimum reproduced image by changing a shutter speed, which is a parameter set at the time of shooting, at the time of reproduction.

  In order to achieve the above object, the image reproducing apparatus according to claim 1 is an image reproducing apparatus that reproduces a moving image that is shot at a high frame rate and in which a shutter speed value that is a shooting parameter is recorded as metadata. A setting means for setting a playback shutter speed of the moving image to be played back, a selection means for selecting a frame to be used according to the playback shutter speed set by the setting means, and a frame selected by the selection means And creating means for creating a frame to be displayed.

  According to the image reproducing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to provide the optimal reproduced image to the viewer by changing the shutter speed, which is a parameter set at the time of shooting, at the time of reproduction.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  An image playback apparatus that plays back a moving image shot at a high frame rate and recorded together with a shutter speed value as a shooting parameter as metadata includes a playback apparatus main body 100, an operation unit 107, and a display device 109.

  The playback apparatus main body 100 has a function of decoding a recorded image, creating a frame used for display from the decoded image, and transmitting the image to the display device 109. Hereinafter, each part which comprises the reproducing | regenerating apparatus main body 100 is demonstrated.

  The system control unit 101 is a processing unit that performs data transmission / reception control and image creation control in the playback apparatus main body 100. The system control unit 101 is a portion corresponding to a CPU in a general playback device, and can perform various controls by a control program.

  The address control unit 102 is a part that calculates an address value necessary for acquiring data from the recording medium 103 based on the value determined by the system control unit 101. The address control unit 102 performs processing for identifying the data used for creating the display frame in the system control unit 101, and thus has a role of associating the value with the actual data on the recording medium 103. Part.

  The recording medium 103 stores image data to be reproduced. Examples of the recording medium 103 include a removable medium such as a memory card, a DVD, and a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk, or a built-in medium such as an HDD or a flash memory.

  The data reading unit 104 is a processing unit that performs processing for reading actual image data from the recording medium 103. The data reading unit 104 uses the address value on the recording medium 103 calculated by the address control unit 102 to read data used for reproduction from the recording medium 103.

  The data separation unit 105 is a processing unit that analyzes the data read from the recording medium 103 by the data reading unit 104 and performs a process of separating actual image data and additional data accompanying the image data.

  The image data is transmitted to the decoder 106, and an image generation process is performed. The additional data is metadata such as the shutter speed and the frame rate of the recorded image, and is used by the system control unit 101 to control creation of an image to be displayed.

  The decoder 106 is a processing unit that decodes image data. As the image data, in addition to uncompressed data such as RAW images, compressed data such as MPEG (Moving Picture Expert Group) images are assumed. Therefore, a decoding process is performed on these data, and a process of changing to one independent frame data is performed.

  The operation means 107 independent of the playback apparatus main body is a user interface for transmitting various instructions of the viewer to the playback apparatus main body 100. Examples of various instructions include image reproduction, shutter speed (reproduction shutter speed) designation (setting) at the time of reproduction, and the like. As a general operation means 107, an infrared remote controller is assumed.

  The frame creation unit 108 performs processing for generating a frame to be used for display from a plurality of frames generated by the decoder 106 by performing synthesis processing or the like. The frame created by the frame creation unit 108 is transmitted to the display device 109 and actually presented to the viewer.

  Hereinafter, detailed components in the frame creation unit 108 will be described.

  The frame delay 1081 is a frame buffer for holding a plurality of frames. Although four frame delays 1081 are provided in FIG. 1, the number is not limited to this. The lower limit of the frame delay 1081 is 0. If N frames are used for frame creation, the upper limit is N-1.

  The coefficient 1082 indicates the weight by which each frame is multiplied in frame creation. Since the number of coefficients 1082 also depends on the number of frames used for frame creation, the number is not limited to the number shown in FIG.

  The adder 1083 performs a process of creating one frame by addition after the plurality of frames are weighted by the coefficient 1082 respectively. The adder 1083 generates a frame used for display.

  The color decode 1084 performs various color processing on the display frame created by the adder 1083 and performs processing for creating an actual display frame. Various color processes include gamma correction, white balance correction, and the like. These processes are indispensable processes when the image is a RAW image.

  A display device 109 independent of the playback device main body 100 performs a process of presenting the display frame created by the frame creation unit 108 to the viewer. Examples of the display device 109 include a liquid crystal display and an FED (Field Emission Display). In FIG. 1, the reproducing apparatus main body 100 and the display apparatus 109 may be integrated, although the reproducing apparatus main body 100 is illustrated as a separate configuration.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram centering on the system controller in FIG.

  The address control unit 102, the decoder 106, the operation unit 107, the frame creation unit 108, and the display device 109 shown in FIG. 2 are the same as those shown in FIG.

  In the system control unit 101, a shutter speed determination unit 201 performs processing for determining a shutter speed value at the time of reproduction based on an instruction from the viewer, information on the display device 109, and information on an image to be reproduced. The value determined by the shutter speed determination unit 201 is the shutter speed during reproduction, that is, the reproduction shutter speed, and is presented to the viewer.

  The interface unit (IF unit) 202 performs a process of receiving an instruction from the viewer performed by the operation unit 107. Specifically, it has a function of receiving the shutter speed setting from the viewer and providing it to the shutter speed determination unit 201.

  The display frame creation control unit 203 controls a method for creating a frame to be displayed to the viewer based on the shutter speed determined by the shutter speed determination unit 201. The display frame creation control unit 203 specifies a frame to be used for creating a display frame, and transmits the information to the address control unit 102. Further, the display frame creation control unit 203 calculates a coefficient for each frame at the time of creation, and notifies the frame creation unit 108 of the coefficient.

  The display device information acquisition unit 204 performs processing for acquiring information of the display device 109 and notifying the acquired information to the shutter speed determination unit 201. Specifically, the information acquired here is a frame rate that the display device 109 can display.

  As described above, the operation unit 107 and the shutter speed determination unit 201 function as a setting unit that sets the reproduction shutter speed of a moving image to be reproduced.

  The display frame creation control unit 203 functions as a selection unit that selects a frame to be used in accordance with the playback shutter speed set by the setting unit.

  The frame creation unit 108 functions as a creation unit that creates a frame to be displayed from the frame selected by the selection unit.

  Here, the shutter speed determination unit 201 sets (determines) a playback shutter speed suitable for the performance of the display device 109 that displays a moving image. The shutter speed determination unit 201 sets (determines) a playback shutter speed suitable for the type of moving image to be played back.

  The basic configuration of the present invention has been described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Next, the flow of the embodiment of the present invention will be described using a flowchart.

(First embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the viewer designates an arbitrary shutter speed, and the shutter speed at the time of reproduction is changed based on the value. Thereby, the viewer can reproduce the image at the shutter speed desired by the viewer himself / herself, regardless of the shutter speed intended by the photographer.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure of image reproduction processing executed by the image reproduction apparatus of FIG. 1 (1).

  This process is executed under the control of the system control unit 101 in FIG.

  First, in step S301, information of an image to be reproduced is acquired from the decoder 106 in FIG. The information acquired here is a shutter speed at the time of shooting, a shooting frame rate, and a display frame rate assumed at the time of shooting.

  The shutter speed at the time of shooting is the shutter speed set by the photographer when shooting the image. The shooting frame rate indicates the time resolution of an image shot by the shooting device, and is the maximum frame rate that can be shot by the shooting device, such as 300 fps.

  The display frame rate assumed at the time of shooting is a parameter mainly related to the shutter speed at the time of shooting, and assumes a frame rate that can be displayed by the display device 109 of FIG. The relationship between these parameters is shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 4, the shutter speed during shooting is 1/100 sec, the shooting frame rate is 1200 fps, and the assumed display frame rate during playback is 60 fps. In playback without changing the normal shutter speed, playback is performed by creating a display frame of i / 100 sec using twelve shooting frames in accordance with this parameter, and displaying each frame at i / 60 sec. .

  Next, in step S302, the viewer sets the shutter speed during playback. When the shutter speed is set fast, a sharp image with a high resolution can be obtained, and conversely, when the shutter speed is set slow, a smooth image with a connection between the images can be obtained.

  If the shutter speed can be set by the viewer, it is possible to provide a playback image suitable for the individual. The actual shutter speed setting process is a process in which the viewer sets the shutter speed by the operation means 107 in FIG. 1 and receives the setting information by the interface unit 202 in FIG.

  In step S303, a method of creating a display frame to be used for reproduction is determined based on the set shutter speed. Step S303 is processing performed by the shutter speed determination unit 201 and the display frame creation control unit 203 in FIG. An example of the process in step S303 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a case where the viewer sets a shutter speed faster than the shutter speed value at the time of recording.

  In FIG. 5, the shutter speed at the time of recording is 1/100 sec. However, when the viewer sets the shutter speed to 1/200 sec, the shutter speed can be changed by changing the number of frames to be used for composition. .

  Specifically, when creating an image with a shutter speed of 1/100 sec at the time of recording, it is implemented by using 12 shooting frames. However, when playing back at a shutter speed of 1/200 sec, the shooting frame to be used is changed. 6 sheets. By this process, it is possible to reproduce the shutter speed by changing it to a value designated by the viewer.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a case where the viewer sets a shutter speed slower than the shutter speed value at the time of recording.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the viewer sets the shutter speed value to 1/40 sec, the set shutter speed is realized by performing composition processing using 30 frames.

  FIG. 7 shows a case where a shutter speed value 1/40 sec slower than the shutter speed value at the time of recording is set as described above. The difference from FIG. 6 is that the frame rate to be displayed is 60 fps, and the lower limit of the shutter speed is set to 1/60 sec on the playback side, and the display frame is created using 20 frames. .

  By this operation, there is no time overlap in the display frame, and a natural image can be reproduced as compared with the example of FIG.

  In the description of FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the number of frames is selected so that the shutter speed is the same as the shutter speed value specified by the viewer, but there are cases where the value cannot be the same as the actually specified value. Conceivable. In such a case, the frame is selected so as to be close to the designated shutter speed value, and the composition process is performed.

  In step S304, a frame to be displayed is created in the frame creation unit 108 based on the display frame creation method determined in step S303. Thereafter, in step S305, the display frame is transmitted to the display device 109 and presented to the viewer.

  In step S306, it is determined whether the image to be displayed has been completed. If not, the process returns to step S304, and the process of creating a display frame is continued. If the image to be displayed is finished, this flow is finished.

  In the embodiment in which the viewer changes the shutter speed shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the timing at which the viewer specifies the shutter speed is not limited to before the start of reproduction. Even when the viewer designates the shutter speed using the operation means 107 at an arbitrary timing during reproduction, it is possible to change the shutter speed and reproduce the image in the same manner.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible for the viewer to specify an arbitrary shutter speed and view a reproduced image according to the specified value. Therefore, it is possible to provide a reproduced image according to the viewer's intention.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the basic configuration for realizing the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  In the second embodiment, according to the display performance of the display device 109 of FIG. 1, the image playback device sets the shutter speed to a value different from the shutter speed at the time of shooting and plays back. Thus, the viewer can view an appropriate reproduced image on the display device 109 of FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure of image reproduction processing executed by the image reproduction apparatus of FIG. 1 (2).

  This process is executed under the control of the system control unit 101 in FIG.

  First, in step S801, information about an image to be reproduced is acquired from the decoder 106. The process in step S801 is the same as the process in step S301 in FIG.

  Next, in step S <b> 802, information on the display device 109 is acquired from the display device 109. The information of the display device 109 acquired here is a displayable frame rate. In addition, control for actually acquiring information from the display device 109 is performed by the display device information acquisition unit 204 of FIG.

  In step S803, a method for creating a display frame used for reproduction is determined based on two types of information: a frame rate that can be displayed by the display device 109 and image information to be reproduced. Step S803 is processing performed by the shutter speed determination unit 201 and the display frame creation control unit 203 in FIG. An example of the process performed in step S803 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 9 shows an example in which an image whose recorded image has a shutter speed value of 1/100 sec and a display frame rate assumed at the time of recording of 1/60 sec is displayed on the display device 109 capable of displaying at 120 fps. FIG.

  In this case, since the frame rate interval that can be displayed is shorter than the shutter speed value, if the shutter speed as recorded is used, temporal overlap between frames may occur, resulting in a blurred image.

  Therefore, the shutter speed value is set to the same value as the display frame rate interval of the display device 109 instead of 1/100 sec, and display is controlled at a display frame rate of 120 fps. By this processing, it is possible to perform reproduction suitable for the display device 109.

  In the example of FIG. 9, the number of frames is selected so that the shutter speed is the same as the shutter speed value set by the image reproduction apparatus. However, there may be a case where the value cannot be the same as the actually specified value. In such a case, the frame is selected so as to be close to the designated shutter speed value, and the composition process is performed.

  In step S804, a frame to be displayed by the frame creation unit 108 is created based on the display frame creation method determined in step S803.

  Thereafter, in step S805, the display frame is transmitted to the display device 109 and presented to the viewer.

  In step S806, it is determined whether or not the image to be displayed has been completed. If it has not been completed, the process returns to step S804 to continue the process of creating a display frame. When the image to be displayed is finished, this flow is finished.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the image reproduction device can set a shutter speed suitable for the display device 109 and can view an image according to the shutter speed.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the basic configuration for realizing the third embodiment is the same as that of the first and second embodiments, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  The third embodiment is an embodiment in which the image reproduction apparatus reproduces the image by setting the shutter speed to a value different from the shutter speed at the time of shooting based on the information of the reproduced image. Thereby, the viewer can view the image in a reproduction environment suitable for the image to be reproduced.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of image reproduction processing executed by the image reproduction apparatus of FIG. 1 (3).

  This process is executed under the control of the system control unit 101 in FIG.

  First, in step S1001, information about an image to be reproduced is acquired from the decoder 106. The information acquired here is a shutter speed at the time of shooting, a shooting frame rate, a display frame rate assumed at the time of shooting, and a recording mode at the time of shooting.

  The recording mode at the time of shooting, for example, associates parameters such as a shutter speed such as a sports mode and a night mode at the time of shooting. When recorded in the sports mode, the subject is expected to move fast, and in the night mode, the shutter speed is expected to be slow.

  Next, in step S1002, a method for creating a display frame used for reproduction is determined. Step S1002 is processing performed by the shutter speed determination unit 201 and the display frame creation control unit 203 in FIG.

  Here, the recording mode acquired in step S1001 is used as a parameter for determining the shutter speed during reproduction. When the recording mode is a recording mode that targets a fast-moving subject, such as a sports mode, playback is performed with a faster shutter speed value. By this processing, it is possible to set and reproduce a shutter speed suitable for the reproduced image.

  In the above example, the number of frames is selected so that the shutter speed is the same as the shutter speed value set by the image reproduction apparatus. In such a case, the frame is selected so as to be close to the designated shutter speed value, and the synthesis process is performed.

  In step S1003, a frame to be displayed by the frame creation unit 108 is created based on the display frame creation method determined in step S1002. Thereafter, in step S1004, the display frame is transmitted to the display device 109 and presented to the viewer.

  In step S1005, it is determined whether or not the image to be displayed has been completed. If it has not been completed, the process returns to step S1003 to continue the process of creating a display frame. If the image to be displayed is finished, this flow is finished.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, it is possible to set a shutter speed more suitable for an image to be reproduced by the image reproduction device and provide a reproduced image according to the shutter speed.

1 is a block diagram of an image reproduction device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram centering on the system control part in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the image reproduction process performed by the image reproduction apparatus of FIG. 1 (1). FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a relationship between shutter speed, an assumed frame rate, and a shooting frame rate of image information to be reproduced in the image reproduction apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of using a frame when changing the shutter speed by the shutter speed determination unit in FIG. 2 in the first embodiment (1). FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of using a frame when changing the shutter speed by the shutter speed determination unit in FIG. 2 in the first embodiment (2). FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of using a frame when changing the shutter speed by the shutter speed determination unit in FIG. 2 in the first embodiment (3). It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the image reproduction process performed by the image reproduction apparatus of FIG. 1 (2). FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a method of using a frame when changing the shutter speed by the shutter speed determination unit in FIG. 2 in the second embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the image reproduction process performed by the image reproduction apparatus of FIG. 1 (3).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Playback apparatus main body 101 System control part 102 Address control part 103 Recording medium 104 Data reading part 105 Data separation part 106 Decoder 107 Operation means 108 Frame creation part 109 Display apparatus 201 Shutter speed determination part 202 Interface part 203 Display frame creation control part 204 Display device information acquisition unit

Claims (4)

In an image playback apparatus that plays back a moving image shot at a high frame rate and recorded together with a shutter speed value as a shooting parameter as metadata,
Setting means for setting a playback shutter speed of the moving image to be played back;
Selection means for selecting a frame to be used according to the reproduction shutter speed set by the setting means;
Creating means for creating a frame to be displayed from the frame selected by the selecting means;
An image reproducing apparatus comprising:   The image reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit is an operation unit operated by a viewer.   2. The image reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the reproduction shutter speed suitable for the performance of a display apparatus that displays the moving image.   2. The image reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting means sets the reproduction shutter speed suitable for the type of the moving image to be reproduced.

Images