JP2004362655A - Information processing device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device and a method for processing information, capable of suitably detecting a deleted part or all deleted parts of content information before reproduction and of preventing the interruption of the reproducing process of the content information when the content information is reproduced by using a reference format file. <P>SOLUTION: Plural bits of content information 101 to 111 are obtained according to the reproducing procedure of the plural bits of content information set by using a reference format file 303. A content management file 407 indicating the deleted state of the plural bits of content information is obtained. Searching is made as to the deletion of the contents of the obtained content information based on the content management file. As a result, the content information whose contents are not deleted is reproduced as it is. The content information whose contents are deleted is not reproduced, and the process moves to the reproduction of the next content information of the reproducing procedure. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an information processing technology for editing and reproducing content information such as video and audio.
[0002]
[Prior art]
At present, the capacity of data recording media such as memory cards used in digital cameras and optical disks used in digital disk video cameras is increasing dramatically, and a wide range of data (hereinafter, referred to as moving images, audio, still images, etc.) (Referred to as “content information”). In addition, various types of devices that allow these recording media to be attached and detached and handle content information recorded therein have been increasing. One of the features of these apparatuses is that they have an editing function of rearranging and combining recorded content information by making use of, for example, random access to a recording medium that was impossible with a video tape. Has become one.
[0003]
Examples of the content information editing function include an erasing function for erasing unnecessary content information, a partial erasing function for specifying and deleting an unnecessary portion from content information, a dividing function for dividing content information, and a plurality of content information items. And the like. Further, as another example of the editing function, there is a function of recording reproduction control information such as a reproduction procedure and a layout of content information on a recording medium or the like, and reading and reproducing the content information according to the reproduction control information at the time of reproduction. There is also. Generally, an editing function for reading and reproducing content information in accordance with the above-described reproduction control information is called a “play list” or the like. Many of today's high-performance digital disk video cameras and digital disk recorders have a plurality of editing functions as described above.
[0004]
A method of realizing a playlist for reproducing content information using the above-described reproduction control information has been known (for example, see Patent Document 1). According to the method described in Patent Literature 1, a play list is realized by designating data to be reproduced with a pointer to a time map table for reproduction. Note that the reproduction time map table used in the method described in Patent Document 1 is a table indicating a start position of a decoding unit in the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) system.
[0005]
However, in the method described in Patent Literature 1, the description method of the reproduction control information has a very limited format, and therefore cannot be described flexibly. Further, there is a problem that the reproduction in accordance with the reproduction control information cannot be performed unless a specially adapted device or computer software is used.
[0006]
On the other hand, SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language) is known as one of the description methods of the reproduction control information. In SMIL, the designation of the reproduction start time, the reproduction end time, the reproduction continuation time, and the like can be described by a relative time from the head. Therefore, by using SMIL for the reproduction control information, it becomes possible to describe the reproduction control information flexibly, and the versatility of usable devices and the like is improved.
[0007]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-187963 A
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, even when the reproduction procedure of the content information is specified using the reproduction control information described in SMIL, the specified content information such as the specified moving image, audio, still image, or the like is deleted, If a part of the content information is deleted, the content information cannot be reproduced according to the designated procedure, and the reproduction process may fail.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and when content information is reproduced using reproduction control information, the content information to be reproduced whose part or all has been deleted is preferably detected. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus and an information processing method capable of preventing a reproduction process from failing.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a reproducing unit that reproduces a content file including content information and a content management file related to the content file from a recording medium,
Management file processing means for generating deletion information indicating that the part has been deleted in response to the instruction for partly deleting the content information, and adding the deletion information to the content management file;
Recording means for recording the content management file to which the deletion information is added on the recording medium;
It is characterized by having.
[0011]
Also, the information processing apparatus according to the present invention is a reproducing means for reproducing, from a recording medium, a plurality of content files each including content information and a content management file including deletion information indicating that the content information is partially deleted. When,
Control means for controlling a reproduction operation of the reproduction means in accordance with playlist information describing a reproduction procedure of the plurality of content files,
The control unit changes a reproduction procedure according to the playlist information based on the deletion information in the content management file.
It is characterized by the following.
[0012]
Further, the information processing method according to the present invention, a reproducing step of reproducing from a recording medium a content file including content information and a content management file related to the content file,
A management file processing step of generating deletion information indicating that the part has been deleted in response to the instruction of deleting part of the content information, and adding the deletion information to the content management file;
A recording step of recording the content management file to which the deletion information is added on the recording medium;
It is characterized by having.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a content control system for preventing a failure of a content information reproduction process according to an embodiment of the present invention and its operation will be described in detail.
[0014]
<First embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the content control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the content control system shown in FIG. 1, for example, content information is edited and reproduced using a reference format file represented by a disc camcorder.
[0015]
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a data processing unit, which processes AV data such as a moving image, a still image, audio, and text to generate processed data. Reference numeral 3 denotes a storage unit including a recording medium such as a magneto-optical disk or a built-in hard disk that is detachable from the content control system, and stores an AV stream file, a reference format file, and a content management file described later. Reference numeral 5 denotes an output control unit, which outputs images and sounds of the AV stream output from the data processing unit 1 and the storage unit 3, and displays various menus and operation panels on the output unit 7.
[0016]
Reference numeral 11 denotes a system control unit that controls the operation of each unit of the apparatus. Reference numeral 13 denotes a memory used for processing by the system control unit 11, and reference numeral 15 denotes an operation unit for instructing recording / reproduction processing and editing processing. Reference numeral 9 denotes a data bus for connecting each part of the content control system as shown in FIG.
[0017]
[Delete and edit AV stream file]
Next, an editing process for deleting a part of an AV stream file by the content control system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating states of an AV stream file before and after editing, a reference format file (playlist file) used for editing, and a content management file in the first embodiment. FIG. 2A shows a time-series AV stream file 201 displayed by a reference format file 301 (content reference file A). FIG. 2B shows the AV stream file 207 after editing for deleting a part of the AV stream file 201.
[0018]
As described above, the AV stream files 101 to 111, the reference format file 301, and the content management file 407 indicating the reference relationship of the content information as shown in FIG. 2A are stored in the storage unit 3 of FIG. . The file system when the AV stream files 101 to 111, the reference format file 301, and the content management file 407 are stored in the storage unit 3 is not particularly limited as long as the data is stored in a file format. A FAT (File Allocation Table) system or a UDF (Universal Disk Format) system may be used.
[0019]
The locations of the various files may all be in the same directory, but may be managed in directory units as in the method described in Patent Document 1. Note that a file reference method in the case of management in directory units can be described by #xpointer in the case of SMIL, and can be described by url or the like in the case of QuickTime format.
[0020]
Here, as a specific description example of the reference format file 301, as shown in FIG. 14, it can be described in SMIL, which is a kind of XML that can be described on a text basis. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a description example of a reference format file used in the first embodiment of the present invention. When displaying an AV stream file continuously in time series in the reference format file 301, as shown in FIG. 14A, the AV stream files are described in order as <video> entries in <seq> tags. To go. This reference relationship is described by solid arrows 21 to 23 in FIG.
[0021]
In addition, as an actual specific description example of the content management file 407, a case shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a description example of a content management file used in the first embodiment of the present invention. The content management file basically sets an <MOV> entry for each of the managed AV stream files, and sets the file name of the AV stream file in the src attribute in the entry. In the Type attribute of the content management file, an attribute indicating whether the AV stream file is video or audio can be set. Further, in the content management file, it is also possible to set an encoding method and the like by an attribute value. Furthermore, the duration of the AV stream file can be set in the dur attribute of the content management file. That is, each piece of content information can be reproduced for the set reproduction duration time. Furthermore, in the content management file, it is also possible to set a linkCount attribute value indicating an attribute of a reference relationship described later.
[0022]
Next, management of reference relationships in the present embodiment will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 2A, a reproduction order selected from the AV stream files 101 to 111 recorded in the storage medium is described using the reference format file 301, and the AV stream list 201 is described. Has been realized. Note that the AV stream files 101 to 111 may be scattered and recorded in a recording medium. Here, for the AV stream files 103 (moving image B), 105 (moving image C), and 111 (moving image F) referred to from the reference format file 301, the linkCount attribute value indicating the reference relationship attribute of the content management file 407 is set. Count up.
[0023]
Specifically, the value of the linkCount attribute in FIG. 3A is incremented (+1). Note that the initial value of the linkCount attribute value is 0, indicating that there is no reference relationship. Then, the count increases as the number of reference relations increases. Conversely, the value is reduced one by one as the reference relationship disappears from the existing reference format file (-1). For example, in FIG. 2, the value of the linkCount attribute of the moving image E (109) being 0 indicates that the moving image E (109) is not referenced from any reference format file. The reference relation attribute of the content management file 407 shown in FIG. 2 is set to a value that also reflects the reference relation by another reference format file 303 shown in FIG. In the case of only the reference state shown in FIG. 2, since only the moving images B, C and F are referred to, the linkCount attribute value is 1 for the moving images B, C and F, and the remaining moving images A and The sound D and the moving image E become 0.
[0024]
Next, the operation of partially deleting an AV stream file, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described with reference to the block diagram of the content control system shown in FIG. First, the system control unit 11 reads from the storage unit 3 a reference format file in which a reproduction procedure of the AV stream list 201 and the like recorded in the storage unit 3 is described. In this case, when a plurality of reference format files are recorded in the storage unit 3, all the files are read. Then, the system control unit 11 instructs the output control unit 5 to output a list of the read reference format files. The output control unit 5 outputs a reference format file list from the output unit 7 in response to an instruction from the system control unit 11. That is, the output control unit 5 causes the output unit 7 capable of screen display to display a list of reference format files on the screen.
[0025]
Next, the user selects, from the displayed list of reference format files, the AV stream list 201 for performing desired editing (for example, deleting and editing a part of the moving image B) by using the operation unit 15 so as to reproduce the selected AV stream. Instruct. Upon receiving an instruction from the operation unit 15, the system control unit 11 reads the selected reference format file 301 from the storage unit 3, and analyzes the contents of the file. Here, the read procedure of the AV stream file is described in the read format in the reference format as described above, so that the system control unit 11 further stores the AV stream files 103, 105, 111 is read, the data processing unit 1 restores the data to AV data, and instructs the output control unit 5 to output the AV data. Then, the output control unit 5 outputs the AV data sequentially reproduced according to the reproduction description of the reference format file 301 to the output unit 7 (for example, a moving image reproduction or the like).
[0026]
The reference format file 301 does not actually refer to the AV stream file directly, but reads out the content management file 407 that manages the AV stream file from the storage unit 3 first, The AV stream file is referenced from the inquiry of the contents of the management file 407. This will be described with reference to FIG.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 2, the reference format file 301 refers to the content management file 407, confirms the attribute of whether or not the AV stream file of the reference destination exists, and then checks the AV stream files 103 and 105 of the actual reference destination. 111 (that is, moving image B, moving image C, and moving image F). Here, if there is an attribute indicating that the attribute is deleted in the attributes of the content management file 407, there is no AV stream file corresponding to the attribute, and the system control unit 11 immediately sends an appropriate Action can be directed.
[0028]
In the case of the present embodiment, since the referenced AV stream files 103, 105, and 111 (that is, the moving images B, C, and F) all exist and are stored in the storage unit 3, the data is read out as it is and reproduced and displayed. Is done. It should be noted that the system control unit 11 temporarily stores the reference format file, the content management file, and the like once read out in the memory 13.
[0029]
Next, as described above, the user cuts (deletes) and edits a part of the AV stream sequence reproduced according to the reference format file 301 at a desired timing. First, the user instructs the operation unit 15 of a cut editing start point and an end point. The system control unit 11 reads the specified AV stream file 103 (moving image B) from the storage unit 3, deletes the specified part of the stream, converts the stream into a file format again, and stores it in the storage unit 3. Through such editing processing, the AV stream file 103 (moving image B) recorded in the storage unit 3 is re-recorded as a short AV stream file 113 (moving image B after cutting) with a part cut.
[0030]
Next, a method of updating the content management file 407 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a method of updating the content management file 407 in the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0031]
When partial deletion of the AV stream file is started (step S1001), first, a <MOV> entry E1 in the content management file 407 to be partially deleted is obtained (step S1003). For example, the <MOV> entry E1 for the moving image B shown in FIG. Next, for the acquired entry E1, a search is made for the presence or absence of a <DEL> element. As a result, if the <DEL> element does not exist, the <DEL> element is added (step S1007), and the AV stream 103 referred to by the entry E1 is actually partially deleted (step S1009). For example, in FIG. 3A, since there is no <DEL> element, a <DEL> element is added for the moving image B as shown in FIG. 3B.
[0032]
On the other hand, if the <DEL> element already exists in step S1005, the process proceeds to step S1009 where the AV stream file 103 (moving image B) is actually partially deleted without updating the management file data. Thus, the operation procedure associated with the cut editing ends (step S1011).
[0033]
In the case of the present embodiment, since the content management file 407 does not include a <DEL> element, the content management file is changed from FIG. 3A to FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, information (partially deleted information) indicating that a part has been deleted is added to the information on the moving image B in the content management file 407.
[0034]
[Playback of AV stream file]
Next, a procedure for playing back the AV stream file 113 cut and edited in this embodiment (moving image B after cutting) in another reference format file will be described. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating states of an AV stream file, a reference format file, and a content management file after cut editing in the first embodiment. FIG. 14B shows a description example of the reference format file 303.
[0035]
First, the AV stream file 101 (moving image A) is reproduced, and then, the AV stream file 113 (moving image B after cutting) and the AV stream data 107 (audio D) of the audio dubbed on the video are reproduced in synchronization. Then, the AV stream file 111 (moving image F) is reproduced. Reference numeral 211 in FIG. 6 denotes an AV stream arrangement at the time of reproduction as described above.
[0036]
However, according to the present embodiment, the AV stream file 113 has already been partially deleted and shortened by the above-described deletion editing, and the consistency cannot be obtained when the audio data D is reproduced synchronously. Therefore, if the system control unit 11 controls the reproduction simply according to the reference format file 303, the reproduction operation of the content in the content control system may be broken.
[0037]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the content information is reproduced without failure using the attached information of the content management file 407 added earlier. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a method of reproducing content information using the attached information of the content management file according to the first embodiment.
[0038]
First, the reference format file 303 and the content management file 407 are read from the storage unit 3 and stored in the memory 13 which can be immediately read by the system control unit 11. When the reproduction of the content information is started (step S1101), an entry Ei of the file referred to by the reference format file is searched from the content management file 407 (step S1103).
[0039]
Next, a <DEL> element (partial deletion attached information) is searched for in the target entry, and if not present, the referenced AV stream is normally reproduced (step S1107). On the other hand, when a <DEL> element exists, the reproduction control unit 5 instructs the output control unit 5 to skip the reproduction of the moving image B and the audio D. Then, the reproduction of the reference format ends (step S1111). That is, in the case of the present embodiment, in the AV stream list 211 of FIG. 6, the moving image A is normally reproduced, and the part of the reproduction (moving image B and audio D) of the inconsistent part has lost part of the file. Is displayed and the reproduction of the part is skipped, and the part of the moving image F is reproduced normally.
[0040]
That is, the content control system according to the present embodiment that sequentially reproduces a plurality of pieces of content information acquires a plurality of pieces of content information in accordance with a procedure for reproducing a plurality of pieces of content information set using a reference format file. Further, a content management file (editing information) indicating the editing state of a plurality of pieces of content information is obtained. Then, a search is made based on the content management file to determine whether or not the content of each of the acquired content information has been edited (for example, partly deleted). As a result, the content information whose content has not been edited is reproduced as it is, and the content information whose content has been edited is not reproduced, and the process shifts to the reproduction process of the content information in the next reproduction procedure.
[0041]
Instead of skipping the partially deleted AV stream, as shown in FIG. 6, a predetermined still image is displayed along with the audio data as an alternative process for a portion having inconsistency. At this time, it is also possible to output the portion where the data of the moving image B exists simultaneously with the audio data. In addition, the order may be reversed so that the moving image B and the audio D are output together, and a portion that is deleted and is not consistent with the audio D may be displayed as a still image. In the case where the AV stream 207 shown in FIG. 2B is reproduced, even if only the moving image B after the partial deletion is reproduced, no process failure occurs. . Further, for example, when the moving image B is completely deleted and edited and the moving image B referred to in the reference format file 301 does not exist, a process failure may occur. Good.
[0042]
As described above, according to the content control system according to the first embodiment, the attached information of the content management file 407 determines whether or not the referenced stream file is out of synchronization due to partial deletion or the like. It is possible to make a determination beforehand, and it is possible to prevent a process from being broken due to inconsistency by taking measures such as skipping.
[0043]
<Second embodiment>
Next, a content control system according to a second embodiment of the present invention and its operation will be described. In the second embodiment, related additional information is further provided for the attribute information in the content management file, and handling of the related additional information and the like in the case where the consistency becomes impossible due to partial deletion will be described.
[0044]
[Delete Edit]
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of related additional information managed by the content management file according to the second embodiment. Here, in the AV stream file 103 (moving image B), a marker element <MRK> holding a comment in synchronization with the AV stream and an icon element indicating a position of a representative screen such as a thumbnail image are related to the time-series data. <ICON>. Each attribute is specified by the time from the beginning of the AV stream 103 (moving image B). For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, when a comment is inserted within a predetermined period in a stream, the start position of the comment is specified by In1, and the length of the predetermined period is specified by a relative time dur1 from the In1 point. . When a comment is inserted only at a certain time in the stream, the value of the dur attribute is omitted, and the comment is specified only by In2. Further, the position indicating the source of the thumbnail image such as the icon is specified by the relative time Positon1 from the In point.
[0045]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a description example of a content management file according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8A, additional information to be added for making a comment or branching is specified by an <MRK> element, and each attribute value is represented by an In attribute and a dur attribute by a relative time of the head time of the AV stream file. Specify with. The additional information added for the thumbnail-related representative screen is specified by an <ICON> element, and its position is specified by an In attribute and a Position attribute.
[0046]
In the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 (a), the additional information about the first comment is added with a comment for a period of 4 minutes and 30 seconds starting from 5 minutes from the beginning, and the representative screen is displayed for 5 minutes from the beginning. The image data at a position four minutes from the reference is used as a thumbnail. He also commented on the first 20 minutes.
[0047]
An embodiment in which an operation of partial deletion is added to an AV stream to which additional information has been added in the above-described procedure will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a partial deletion process performed by the content control system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
[0048]
First, when partial deletion of the AV stream file 103 (moving image B) is started (step S1001), an entry E1 of the AV stream to be partially deleted is acquired in the content management file (step S1003). Next, the presence of a <DEL> element in the entry E1 is confirmed (step S1005). If the <DEL> element does not exist, the <DEL> element is added, and a start point (In attribute) and a deletion period (dur attribute) of the portion to be deleted are added (step S1013).
[0049]
On the other hand, if the <DEL> element exists in step S1005, the start point of the DEL element is deleted and the attribute of the period is updated (step S1015). Then, after performing the processing of either step S1013 or S1015, the attribute value specifying the time position in the attribute data of another element is updated (step S1017). Finally, the file of the entry E1 is partially deleted (step S1009), and the process of the partial deletion ends (step S1011).
[0050]
Regarding the attribute of the <DEL> element in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7B, the position of the stream 103 (moving image B) to be partially deleted is the position of In (3 minutes 20 seconds) from the stream start point. The deletion period is dur (3 minutes). A description example of the content management file in this case is as shown in FIG.
<DEL In = "00:03:20" dur = "00:03:00"/>
In step S1013, the description is added to the entry E1.
[0051]
Here, the <DEL> element is already
<DEL In = "00:01:00" dur = "00:10:00"/>
, The In attribute is deleted,
<DEL dur = “00:13:00” />
The data is updated by adding the deletion period to the dur attribute as described above (step S1015).
[0052]
Next, the attribute update of another element (step S1017) will be described with reference to FIG. 7C, FIG. 15 and FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining a related attribute value update process according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a process of updating a time attribute value according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
[0053]
First, the update processing of the related attribute value will be described. Due to the partial deletion as described above, the length of the entire AV stream changes. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8A, the time attribute dur of the <MOV> entry (30 minutes 25 seconds)
<MOV src = “Movie B” Type = “Movie” dur = “00:30:25” linkCount = “2”>
, The time length is shortened, and as shown in FIG.
<MOV src = “Movie B” Type = “Movie” dur = “00:27:25” linkCount = “2”>
Is updated to a value obtained by subtracting the time (3 minutes) of the deletion period (step S1205 in FIG. 15).
[0054]
Furthermore, there is a <MAR> element as a related element, and the second comment whose position only moves.
<MRK In = "00:20:00">
Only move the time position
<MRK In = “00:17:00”>
Is updated to a value obtained by subtracting the deletion period (3 minutes) from the In attribute value (step S1319 in FIG. 16).
[0055]
The first comment when the comment period itself is changed due to partial deletion
<MRK In = "00:05:00" dur = "00:04:30">
For, delete the first half of the comment period along with the partial deletion,
<MRK In = "00:03:20" dur = "00:30:10">
The In attribute is matched with the attribute value of the <DEL> element (3:20), and the dur attribute is the time remaining after partial deletion ((5 minutes + 4: 30 seconds) − (3:20 seconds). +3 minutes) = 3 minutes and 10 seconds) (step S1321 in FIG. 16).
[0056]
Conversely, when the latter half is deleted by the partial deletion, the remaining part is updated with the data of the In attribute and the dur attribute in the same manner as described above. Therefore, the In attribute is not changed, and the remaining attribute is shortened by the deletion of only the dur attribute. (Step S1325 in FIG. 16). If the whole is deleted by the partial deletion, the symmetrical element itself is deleted from the content management file (step S1323 in FIG. 16). As for the icon element, the Position attribute indicating the position of the icon also updates the data following the dur attribute. The final configuration of each attribute is as shown in FIG. 7C, and its description is as shown in FIG. 8B.
[0057]
[Playback]
Next, the reproduction procedure of the reference format using the content management file 409 whose data has been updated as described above will be described using FIG. 10 and FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a reproduction process according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram illustrating states of an AV stream file, a reference format file, and a content management file in the second embodiment.
[0058]
First, reference reproduction is started according to the description of the reference format file 303 (step S1101). The entry Ei of the file specified by the reference format file 303 is obtained from the content management file 409 (step S1103). Next, it is checked whether or not the target entry Ei includes a <DEL> element (step S1105). As a result, if there is no <DEL> element, normal reproduction is performed (step S1107). On the other hand, when the <DEL> element exists, the deletion section is calculated from the In attribute and the Dur attribute (step S113). Specifically, it is found that the section of the dur period has been deleted from the In attribute value of the AV stream file 113. If there is no In attribute, the deletion start point is determined to be the head value (0) of the stream.
[0059]
If the deletion section is limited as described above, the reproduction of this deletion section is replaced by displaying a still image and a message or the like (step S1115). In this case, the synchronization relationship between the post-recording AV data 107 (audio D) and the image AV data 103, which are reproduced synchronously, as shown in FIG. There is no hindrance. Also, the user who views the output moving images, images, and the like does not feel uncomfortable because only the partially deleted portions are displayed with the still image data and the like together with the music.
[0060]
As described above, in the second embodiment, since the temporal position relation of the accompanying data is corrected by the partial deletion, the original image of the thumbnail image can be extracted after the partial deletion. The effective data can maintain the synchronous relationship, and the attached information can be effectively used.
[0061]
<Third embodiment>
Next, a content control system according to a third embodiment of the present invention and its operation will be described.
[0062]
[Delete Edit]
In the third embodiment, a description will be given of handling of information related to editing of deletion information in a content management file when partial deletion editing of content information is repeatedly performed. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a change example when a plurality of partial deletion edits are performed on the AV stream file 103 in the third embodiment.
[0063]
First, as shown in FIG. 12A, the original AV stream 103 (time length 30 minutes and 25 seconds) is deleted from the head of In1 (6 minutes 20 seconds) by the time length dur1 (4 minutes). Then, as shown in FIG. 12B, the AV stream 115 has a total length of 26 minutes and 25 seconds. Further, as shown in FIG. 12C, when the time length dur1 (4 minutes) is deleted from the beginning of In2 (10 minutes 50 seconds), as shown in FIG. 12D, the total length is 22 minutes 25 seconds. AV stream 117. Further, as shown in FIG. 12E, when the time length dur1 (10 minutes) is deleted from In3 (5 minutes and 40 seconds) from the beginning, as shown in FIG. 12F, the total length is 12 minutes and 25 seconds. AV stream 119.
[0064]
In the first and second embodiments described above, the repetition history updates only the deletion time length (dur) attribute. However, in the present embodiment, after adding the Id attribute to the <DEL> element, Keep all the above history.
[0065]
FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining a repeated part deletion process according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the repeated part deletion processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Basically, the processing is the same as that in the flowchart of FIG. 9 described in the second embodiment, and therefore, only different parts will be described here. First, the process up to the acquisition of the entry E1 for partial deletion (step S1003) is as described above. Thereafter, a <DEL> element is searched (step S1005), and if it does not exist, a new <DEL> element is added (step S1401). Here, the newly created element has an Id attribute of 0 (Id = 1) and adds an attribute of a partial deletion start point In and a partial deletion time length dur. Note that the In attribute and the dur attribute can be omitted when the value is 0.
[0066]
On the other hand, if the <DEL> element already exists in step S1005, first, the Id attribute value of the existing <DEL> element is obtained, and the value is incremented with respect to the maximum Id value. Increment by one (+1) (step S1403). Next, a new <DEL> element having the attribute of the incremented Id value is added. The In attribute and the dur attribute are set in the same manner as in step S1401 (step S1405).
[0067]
Further, the system control unit 11 shown in FIG. 1 checks the storage free space of the storage unit 3 realized by a recording medium such as an optical disk, and determines whether the AV stream to be partially deleted can be newly stored (step S1407). ). As a result, if the storage unit 3 has enough storage capacity, a UUID (Universal Unique ID) having a unique value of 16 bytes is generated (step S1409), and the dest of the newly added <DEL> element is generated. The attribute is set (step S1411). Further, the AV stream cut out by the partial deletion is added to the uuid, converted into a file, and stored in the storage unit 3 or the like.
[0068]
After the new <DEL> element is added as described above, the attribute value of the related element is updated (step S1017), the file of entry E1 is partially deleted (step S1009), and the partial deletion operation ends. (Step S1011). FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a description example of a content management file used in the third embodiment of the present invention. That is, the content management file shown in FIG. 13A has a description as shown in FIG.
[0069]
Next, a method of generating a reference format file using the history of reduction attributes according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the restoration attribute generation processing of the reference format file according to the third embodiment of the present invention. First, when generating a reference format file in which a reproduction procedure is described, an entry E1 of a reference destination AV stream file is obtained from a content management file (step S1503). Next, the <DEL> element is searched, and an inquiry as to whether the reference destination file has been partially deleted is made to the content management file (step S1505).
[0070]
As a result, if the partial deletion has been performed, the maximum value of the Id attribute value of the <DEL> element is obtained as the situation (step S1507), and the entry of the reference destination AV stream file of the reference format file is used as partial deletion restoration information This process is terminated after the attribute value is set to the DelId attribute value (step S1509) and stored as attribute information of the reference format file (step S1511). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1505 that the reference destination AV stream file has not been partially deleted, the process ends without holding the partial deletion restoration information (step S1511).
[0071]
FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a reference format file generated in the restoration attribute generation processing according to the third embodiment. The reference format file shown in FIG. 19 was generated when the Id of the partial deletion history was 0001.
[0072]
[Restore / Play]
Next, a description will be given of a procedure for restoring a partially deleted location in the third embodiment. FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a restoration processing procedure using a reference format file according to the third embodiment of this invention. Normally, restoration of the partially deleted location in the case of the present embodiment is performed by requesting a reference format file.
[0073]
As shown in FIG. 20, first, when the reference format file is executed, information (src attribute) and partial deletion restoration information (DelId attribute) of the reference destination file are obtained from the entry describing the reference destination AV stream file. (Step S1603). Here, when there is no partial deletion restoration information, the initial value 0 is set as the value.
[0074]
Next, an entry in which a reference destination AV stream file is described is acquired for the content management file (step S1605), and it is confirmed whether or not a <DEL> element serving as a partial deletion history exists in the entry (step S1605). Step S1607). As a result, when the partial deletion history does not exist, normal reproduction is performed according to the reproduction procedure of the reference format file without performing a restoring operation (step S1613), and the reproduction process of the AV stream file ends (step S1615). On the other hand, if there is a partial deletion history, the partial deletion restoration information (DelId attribute) specified in the reference format file is set to the partial deletion restoration level (Idref) (step S1609), and the process proceeds to restoration processing (step S1609). Step S1611).
[0075]
FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a restoration processing procedure performed by the content management file according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 21, first, an entry of an AV stream file to be restored is obtained (step S1703), and the presence or absence of a partial deletion history is confirmed by searching for a <DEL> element (step S1705).
[0076]
Here, if the <DEL> element does not exist, the target AV stream file has not been partially deleted, and the process ends as it is (step S1723). On the other hand, when the partial deletion history exists, the Id attribute value is acquired for all the <DEL> elements in the target entry, and the maximum value (Idmax) is set in the partial deletion restoration counter (Idsrch) ( Step S1707).
[0077]
Next, a <DEL> element having a partial deletion restoration counter (Idsrch) as an Id attribute value is searched, and a partial deletion start point (In attribute) and a partial deletion time (dur attribute) of the <DEL> element are obtained (step). In step S1709, the section from which the part has been deleted is determined (step S1711). The determination of the partial deletion section is specifically shown in FIG. 12E based on the information of the start point (In3) and the time length (dur3) for the partially deleted stream shown in FIG. It becomes a section.
[0078]
Next, the partially deleted storage destination information (dest attribute) of the <DEL> element is searched, and if it does not exist, the partially deleted stream is not stored, so alternative processing such as still image display or message display is inserted. (Step S1717), and it proceeds to step S1719. On the other hand, if the partial deletion storage destination information exists, the AV stream in the disc is searched by using the uid of the dest attribute value, and the searched file is inserted into the restoration section (step S1715).
[0079]
As described above, after supplementing the AV stream information of the restoration section, it is checked whether the partial deletion restoration counter (Idsrch) has reached the partial reduction restoration level (Idref) set in the reference format file or the like. (Step S1719) If it has reached, the restoration process ends (Step S1723). On the other hand, if the restoration level has not been reached, the partial deletion restoration counter performs a decrement operation of −1 (step S1721), and returns to step S1709 of the next restoration operation.
[0080]
In the present embodiment, since the partial reduction restoration level is 0001 as shown in FIG. 19 described above, the above operation is repeated twice, and restoration is performed to the state shown in FIG. 12C or 12B. In addition, as described above, when the restoration reduction level is set to 0, restoration can be performed up to the state in FIG.
[0081]
Further, in the present embodiment, since a PC application is assumed, the partial deletion storage destination attribute is specified by a uuid that can specify a unique file independent of a file system or the like. Therefore, the same can be realized even in the case of using an identification code (Guid or the like) that can be specified only. Furthermore, the searchability can be emphasized, and the designation (url, urn, etc.) using the directory structure of the file system can be similarly realized.
[0082]
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, the description has been made on the assumption that the processing is performed in real time. However, the above processing is performed in advance by analyzing the reference format file and the content management file in which the reproduction procedure is described before reproducing the file. If a restored AV stream is prepared in advance, smooth playback control can be realized. In other words, the camcorder itself can be used to create attribute information for restoration, and the restoration operation can be performed offline using a PC application or the like, and the restored application can be played back on a PC or the like. It is.
[0083]
As described above, in the third embodiment, it is possible to sequentially restore partially deleted positions by leaving the history information of the partially deleted AV stream. Also, by adding identification information related to the information to a file in a reference format in which a reproduction procedure is described, a stream that does not break down during reproduction can be restored. Furthermore, by leaving the storage location of the partially deleted information in the history information, it is possible to restore not only the position of the partially deleted AV stream but also the content of the partially deleted AV stream.
[0084]
<Other embodiments>
In the above-described embodiment, the deletion and editing of the content information and the reproduction of the content information after the deletion and editing have been described. However, the same processing can be performed even when an editing process other than the deletion and editing is performed.
[0085]
The present invention can be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), but can be a device including one device (for example, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, etc.). May be applied.
[0086]
Further, an object of the present invention is to supply a recording medium (or storage medium) in which a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded to a system or an apparatus, and to provide a computer (or a CPU or Needless to say, the present invention can also be achieved by the MPU) reading and executing the program code stored in the recording medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the recording medium on which the program code is recorded constitutes the present invention. When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating system (OS) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where some or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing is also included.
[0087]
Further, after the program code read from the recording medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU or the like provided in the card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.
[0088]
When the present invention is applied to the recording medium, the recording medium stores program codes corresponding to the flowcharts described above.
[0089]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when reproducing content information using a reference format file, a part or all of the content information is deleted before reproduction, and the part can be appropriately detected, Failure of the content information reproduction process can be prevented.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a content control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the states of an AV stream file before and after editing, a reference format file used for editing, and a content management file according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a description example of a content management file used in the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates a method of updating the content management file 407. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a method of updating the content management file 407 in the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a method of reproducing content information by using attached information of a content management file in the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating states of an AV stream file, a reference format file, and a content management file after cut editing in the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of related additional information managed by a content management file according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a description example of a content management file according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure of a partial deletion process by the content control system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a reproduction process according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram illustrating states of an AV stream file, a reference format file, and a content management file according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a change when a plurality of partial deletion edits are performed on the AV stream file 103 in the third embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a description example of a content management file used in a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a description example of a reference format file used in the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a related attribute value update process according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a process of updating a time attribute value according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a repeated part deletion process according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining a restoration attribute generation process of a reference format file according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a reference format file generated in a restoration attribute generation process according to the third embodiment.
FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a restoration processing procedure using a reference format file according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a restoration processing procedure performed by a content management file according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Data processing unit
3 Storage unit
5 Output control unit
7 Output section
11 System control unit
15 Operation unit
100 playback device
301, 303 Reference format file
407, 409 Content management file
101, 103, 104, 107, 109, 111, 113, 115, 117, 119 AV stream files
201, 207, 211, 213 AV stream arrangement

Claims (43)

A reproducing unit that reproduces a content file including content information and a content management file related to the content file from a recording medium, and a deletion indicating that the part has been deleted in response to an instruction to partially delete the content information Management file processing means for generating information and adding the information to the content management file;
Recording means for recording the content management file to which the deletion information has been added on the recording medium. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of content files are recorded on the recording medium, and the management file processing unit adds the deletion information to each of the plurality of content files. 3. apparatus. The content management file includes playback time information indicating a playback time length of the content information, and the management file processing unit further changes a value of the playback time information in response to the instruction for partial deletion. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The content management file includes mark information indicating a designated mark position in the content information, and the management file processing unit further changes the content of the mark information in accordance with the instruction for partial deletion. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The content management file further includes mark playback time information indicating a playback time length from the mark position, and the management file processing unit further changes the content of the mark time information in accordance with the instruction for partial deletion. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the management file processing unit further adds deletion time information indicating a deletion start position and a deleted time length in the content information to the content management file. The management file processing means further accumulates the length of time deleted in each partial deletion process and adds the same as the deletion time information when the partial deletion process for the content information is repeatedly instructed. 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: The management file processing means further includes a deletion part information for identifying a deletion part in the content information, and a part deleted in the partial deletion processing performed a plurality of times on the content information. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein identification information for performing the operation is added to the content management file. A storage unit that stores the partial content information deleted in the partial deletion process performed on the content information a plurality of times,
9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the management file processing unit adds storage destination information indicating a storage destination of the partial content information stored in the storage unit to the content management file. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a restoration unit configured to restore the partially deleted content information based on the storage destination information and the identification information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the storage destination information is unique identification information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the storage destination information is identification information represented by a tree. The recording medium stores the plurality of content files, and further includes control means for controlling a reproduction operation of the reproduction means in accordance with a playlist file describing a reproduction procedure of the plurality of content files. The information processing device according to claim 1. 14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the management file processing unit describes the content management file in a data description language. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the management file processing unit describes the content management file in a SMIL format. Reproducing means for reproducing, from a recording medium, a plurality of content files each including content information and a content management file including deletion information indicating that the content information is partially deleted,
Control means for controlling a reproduction operation of the reproduction means in accordance with playlist information describing a reproduction procedure of the plurality of content files,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the control unit changes a reproduction procedure according to the playlist information based on the deletion information in the content management file. 17. The reproduction unit according to claim 16, wherein the control unit changes the reproduction procedure so as to reproduce the content information specified next by the playlist information without reproducing the partially deleted content information. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The control means changes the reproduction procedure so as to simultaneously reproduce another content information when reproducing predetermined content information,
The reproducing means reproduces the contents at the same time if the contents of the respective pieces of content information are not edited together. 18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the processing shifts to a reproduction process. The playback means determines whether or not synchronized playback of the predetermined content information and the different content information is possible, and if determined to be possible, plays back the respective content information at the same time. 19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein when it is determined that the reproduction is possible, the process proceeds to a reproduction process of content information in a next reproduction procedure without reproducing either of them. An information processing apparatus in which a predetermined recording medium on which the plurality of pieces of content information are recorded is detachable,
The information according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein the content information acquiring unit acquires the plurality of pieces of content information recorded on the recording medium by reading the plurality of pieces of content information in the reproduction procedure. Processing equipment. An information processing apparatus in which a predetermined recording medium on which the editing information is recorded is detachable,
21. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the editing information obtaining unit obtains the editing information by reading the editing information recorded on the recording medium. An information processing apparatus in which a predetermined recording medium on which information regarding the reproduction procedure is recorded is detachable,
22. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the setting unit sets a reproducing procedure of the plurality of pieces of content information by reading information on the reproducing procedure recorded on the recording medium. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1. 23. The information processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the plurality of pieces of content information, the editing information, and the information on the reproduction procedure are recorded on the same recording medium. The information processing according to any one of claims 16 to 23, wherein the content information is any one of a still image, a moving image, audio, and text, or AV data composed of a combination thereof. apparatus. Editing means for editing the content information;
25. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising: a change unit configured to change the editing information indicating an editing state of the content information edited by the editing unit. The editing means performs deletion editing for deleting a predetermined portion of the content information,
26. The information processing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the changing unit adds partial deletion information to editing information on the content information from which the predetermined part has been deleted by the editing unit. The search means searches whether or not the edit information includes the partial delete information. If the partial delete information is not included, it is determined that the content is not edited, and the partial delete information is included. 27. The information processing apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the content is edited if the content has been edited. 26. The information processing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein when the editing unit repeats deletion and editing of the content information, the changing unit updates the partial deletion information each time the deletion and editing are performed. The editing information includes information on a reproduction duration time of each content information,
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 27, wherein the reproducing means reproduces each piece of content information for each reproduction duration time. The playback means, when it is determined that the synchronized playback of the predetermined content information and the different content information is partially impossible, performs a predetermined process on a portion where the synchronized playback is impossible, 20. The information processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the portions that can be synchronously reproduced simultaneously reproduce respective content information. The predetermined processing is an alternative processing of processing of information that is insufficient when synchronously reproducing any content information,
31. The information processing apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the reproducing unit simultaneously performs reproduction of content information that is not insufficient and the substitution process. 32. The information processing apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the substitute processing is display of a predetermined still image. The editing information includes time information indicating that editing processing has been performed on each piece of content information,
26. The information processing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein when the editing unit edits the content information, the changing unit changes the time information each time the editing is performed. The method according to claim 33, wherein the editing process is a process of displaying a predetermined mark in synchronization with a time axis of the content information, and the time information has attributes related to a display start time and a display time of the mark. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The method according to claim 33, wherein the editing process is a process of outputting representative information related to the content information, and the time information has a reference time related to the representative information and a time interval attribute determined from the reference time. Information processing device. Each time the editing unit performs a deletion edit for deleting a predetermined portion of the content information, the storage unit further includes a storage unit for storing, of the content information, partial content information deleted by the editing unit,
26. The change unit adds partial deletion information associated with the partial content information stored in the storage unit to edit information on the content information deleted by the edit unit. Information processing device. The partial deletion information has an attribute relating to a partial deletion start time and a partial deletion time length when the partial content information is deleted from the content information, and an attribute relating to information for identifying the partial content information. Item 36. The information processing device according to Item 36. 38. The information processing apparatus according to claim 37, further comprising a restoring unit for restoring the content information deleted and edited stepwise by the editing unit to a predetermined stage using the partial deletion information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the information for identifying the partial content information is identification information expressed in a tree structure. 40. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the editing information is described in SMIL. A reproducing step of reproducing a content file including content information and a content management file related to the content file from a recording medium,
A management file processing step of generating deletion information indicating that the part has been deleted in response to the instruction of deleting part of the content information, and adding the deletion information to the content management file;
Recording the content management file to which the deletion information has been added on the recording medium. On the computer,
A reproduction procedure of reproducing a content file including content information and a content management file related to the content file from a recording medium,
A management file processing procedure for generating deletion information indicating that the part has been deleted in response to the instruction for partly deleting the content information, and adding the deletion information to the content management file;
Recording the content management file to which the deletion information is added on the recording medium. A computer-readable recording medium storing the program according to claim 42.

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