JP2005341241A - Image recording and reproducing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image recording and reproducing apparatus which efficiently performs the confirming work of a photographed image. <P>SOLUTION: In the case of recording the image, an image control part 201 records inputted input image information in a HDD 202. An input instruction part 204 outputs noticing information showing the positional coordinates of a noticing point. A noticing point information control part 205 generates noticing point information showing the position of the noticing point and the size of an area including the noticing point on the basis of noticing information, and records it in the HDD 202. In the case of reproducing the image, an image reproduction processing part 206 generates reduced image data obtained by reducing an image on the basis of image data, segments a partial area including the noticing point from the image data on the basis of the noticing point information, and generates trimming image data. The image reproduction processing part 206 outputs the generated reduced image data and the trimming image data to an external monitor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording / reproducing apparatus that records an ultra-high-definition digital still image continuously generated by a moving image camera and reproduces an image in order to confirm the recorded image. The present invention relates to an image recording / reproducing apparatus that improves the confirmation work at the time of reproduction of an image.

  Digital video, digital cinema, and other digital video are becoming more high-definition. In the broadcasting industry, SDTV (Standard Definition Television) to HDTV (High Definition Television) images (1920 × 1080), In the digital cinema industry, efforts are being made to achieve ultra-high definition from 2K (horizontal pixel: 2048) to 4K (horizontal pixel: 4096). In such a recording apparatus that stores digital image data taken by a high-definition camera, the recording capacity becomes enormous and the recording apparatus itself becomes large. For example, in an ultra-high definition image (SHD: Super High Definition) whose length ratio is twice that of a high-definition (HD) video, the number of pixels is four times the amount of HD as is the area. Therefore, a huge amount of processing time is required for operations such as reading of images from the recording device, editing, and saving of the results.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system using a conventional digital high-definition digital video camera (hereinafter referred to as SHD video camera). In the figure, the SHD video camera 100 outputs digital image data of 3840 × 2160 pixels as a HD-SDI (High Definition Serial Digital Interface) digital signal at a rate of 24 frames per second. Normally, the HD-SDI signal standard has only a transfer capacity for one HD image, so the SHD video camera 100 divides the image into four parts, each of which is exactly the same size as the HD picture, and four HD pictures. -Each image is output in parallel with the SDI signal. In addition, the SHD video camera 100 generates reduced image data in which the number of pixels is reduced by thinning out the pixels of the SHD image so as to have an HD image size.

  The image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 is connected to the SHD video camera 100, records SHD image data (photographed data) output from the SHD video camera 100 in a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 202, and reproduces an image for editing. When performing the above, the reproduction data of the SHD image is output to the editing apparatus 300. The reproduction data is output by four HD-SDI signals. The editing apparatus 300 is connected to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 during editing, and edits reproduction data output from the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200. When shooting data having a capacity exceeding the storage capacity of the HDD 202 of the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 is generated during shooting, a backup such as a tape is performed as will be described later. In this case, the shooting data recorded on a medium such as a tape is transferred to the editing device 300 and edited by the editing device 300.

  The HD monitor 500 is connected to the SHD video camera 100 and displays an image based on the shooting data output from the SHD video camera 100. By connecting four HD monitors 500 in parallel to the HD-SDI output signal of the photographic data, it is possible to simultaneously confirm a quarter-size image at the same time. The HD monitor 600 is connected to the SHD video camera 100 and displays a reduced image based on the reduced image data output from the SHD video camera 100. By connecting the HD monitor 600 to a signal for outputting a reduced image, the entire image can be confirmed.

  In the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200, an image control unit 201 controls recording and reproduction of image data. When recording an image, the image control unit 201 records shooting data continuously input from the SHD video camera 100 via an interface (not shown) in an HDD 202 that is a recording medium. The image control unit 201 reads out shooting data from the HDD 202 and outputs it to the image reproduction processing unit 203 when reproducing an image. The image control unit 201 also has a function of recording shooting data input from the SHD video camera 100 to the HDD 202 and simultaneously outputting shooting data to the image playback processing unit 203 as a playback image. The image reproduction processing unit 203 outputs the shooting data to the editing apparatus 300 as reproduction data.

  Next, shooting and editing procedures in an actual shooting site will be described. For shooting, the SHD video camera 100 and the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 are brought into the field, but since editing is performed later, the editing apparatus 300 is not brought to the field. Therefore, all the captured images are stored in the HDD 202. The image data sequentially transferred from the SHD video camera 100 to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 is stored in the HDD 202.

  Image data constituting a moving image can be defined as a collection of a plurality of cuts and a plurality of scenes. “Cut” is defined as a set of frame images shot from the start to the end of one shooting operation with the camera. A “scene” is composed of a set of a plurality of cuts obtained by shooting a certain shooting target. Multiple scenes can be further grouped under a specific shooting theme. Such a data structure of a moving image is represented as a hierarchical structure by a combination of a cut and a scene.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a photographing procedure. On-site shooting is started, and “scene” shooting is started (step S901). In “scene” shooting, “cut” shooting is performed (step S902), and the shot image is recorded in the HDD 202 of the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 (step S903). Subsequently, the image is reproduced by the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200, and the reproduced image is output to the monitor, whereby the image is displayed on the monitor and the image is confirmed (step S904). After confirming this, the quality of the photographed “cut” is determined (step S905).

  If it is determined that the content of “cut” is NG, the NG cut is deleted (step S906), the process returns to step S902 again, and “cut” shooting is performed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the content of the “cut” is OK, it is determined whether or not the “scene” shooting is to be ended (step S907). If the “scene” shooting is not completed for other reasons such as “cut” shooting and the “scene” shooting is continued, the process returns to step S901 to continue the “scene” shooting. On the other hand, when the “scene” shooting is ended, the shooting data recorded in the HDD 202 is recorded (backed up) on a tape (step S908).

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not to end all shooting (step S909). If the shooting is not terminated, the process returns to step S901 to continue the “scene” shooting. On the other hand, when the shooting is finished, the shooting is completed.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the editing procedure in the studio. At the time of editing, the tape on which the shooting data is recorded is brought into the studio, the shooting data recorded on the tape is transferred to the editing device 300, and the editing device 300 performs the editing work. First, the photographing data recorded on the tape is restored to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 (step S1001). Subsequently, the image is reproduced (step S1002), displayed on the monitor to confirm the image (step S1003), and an image necessary for editing is transferred to the editing apparatus 300 (step S1004). Subsequently, it is determined whether to edit an image in another scene or another tape (step S1005). When editing other images, the process returns to step S1001 to repeat the process. When editing the restored image, nonlinear editing is performed (step S1006), and the editing operation ends.

  It is desirable that the ultra-high definition image data is recorded in a state with as little deterioration as possible in order to perform editing work by digital image editing. Therefore, a recording apparatus capable of writing uncompressed data or lossless compressed data in real time is required. At present, real-time capture by HD-SDI 2ch input is possible, and an uncompressed recording apparatus using a RAID system HDD as a recording medium can be used (hereinafter referred to as an HDD recorder). Since the SHD video camera 100 outputs a digital image using HD-SDI 4ch, it is possible to record an image in real time by operating two HDD recorder type image recording / reproducing apparatuses 200 in parallel.

If an image is composed of RGB: 4: 4: 4 (YPbPr) 10 bits, one pixel is about 4 bytes, and 3840 × 2160 × 24 × 4 = 759.4 × 10 ⁶ bytes / second to store this data. A processing speed of (≈759.4 MB / s = 6 Gbps) is required. Here, even if the HDD capacity of the HDD recorder is 1.7 TB (TB, terabyte = 1024 MB), it is possible to record only about 40 minutes. In general, in such an HDD recorder, in order to always maintain a high writing speed, an HDD as a recording medium is constructed so that a capacity corresponding to a recording time is a continuous area (sector). There is a need. Therefore, it is necessary to secure a capacity corresponding to the shooting time as an image recording area before shooting.

  If it is possible to finish taking images of all shooting scenes with only 40 minutes of image data, after shooting, take this HDD recorder to an editing studio for editing, and edit the image data directly there. What is necessary is just to output to the apparatus 300 or a large sized display apparatus. However, usually, more “cuts” and “scenes” are photographed, and images necessary for “shooting themes” or “story” are selected, extracted, and edited.

  Therefore, in order to capture more images, if the recording is performed up to the recordable time of the HDD recorder, the images must be backed up to another medium such as a tape as in step S908 in FIG. As the tape drive, an S-AIT tape drive having a performance of 30 MB / s and 500 GB / volume (uncompressed) can be used as a high-speed and large-capacity medium. However, a backup time that is 10 times longer than the recording time is required.

  In order to efficiently perform photographing using such a recording apparatus 200, an operation of reducing unnecessary images (see step S906 in FIG. 9) is important even if the photographing time is somewhat long. As the capacity of the image data increases, the transfer time to be performed thereafter and the processing time such as backup (see step S908 in FIG. 9) / restore (see step S1001 in FIG. 10) increase greatly. Therefore, regarding the captured image, it is important to store “cut” and “scene” with as little NG as possible on the recording medium.

  Therefore, as in step S905 in FIG. 9, image determination for each “cut” or “scene” in the field is important for improving the resource and processing time of the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200. For example, in the location of a movie, it is important to check on the spot (see step S904 in FIG. 9) whether the photographed “cut” has been photographed without any problem by a director, a photographer, or other related parties. is there. When shooting with high-definition (HD) video, an HD monitor can be used in the field, and the entire screen of the cut image can be displayed at the same magnification for confirmation. However, in the case of shooting with an ultra-high-definition image, it is difficult to confirm because there is no display device that can display the entire screen of the moving image at the same magnification in the field.

  In order to confirm information for each pixel in a high-definition image, the relationship between the resolution (minimum discrimination capability) of the human eye, the distance, and the angle of view of the display device is important. When the human naked eye vision is 1.0, the minimum resolution is about 60 seconds. Therefore, assuming that the number of horizontal pixels of the display device is 4000 pixels, the horizontal size of the monitor that can be confirmed from 1.5 m is at least about 175 cm (80 inches diagonal), which is a big equipment to prepare on site End up. At present, there is no display device capable of displaying a digital moving image with such specifications.

  The important points in determining the quality of each “cut” image are the intent and purpose of the shooting in the “cut” by the director or cameraman on the photographer side, and which point of the image the “cut” is ( It is important to know whether the photograph was taken with a focus on the subject. In the shooting story, the subject is not always in the center of the screen, but there are “cuts” that appear and disappear from the edge of the screen. In addition, the subject is not always in focus, and there is a “cut” that changes from the defocused state to the focused state, and a “cut” that moves the subject back and forth with the camera focus fixed. .

  As described above, the evaluation contents of the checkpoint of the image differ depending on the shooting intention, and the “cut” can be evaluated in the still image, or the “cut” must be observed and evaluated in the moving image. Sometimes. Regarding on-site image checkpoints, focus state, contrast, color skipping (whiteout, blackout), etc. are important. For images that are difficult to correct in the post-processing step by digital editing, re-shooting is possible. I need it.

  Therefore, at present, the image of the entire image is confirmed (by the HD monitor 600) by the reduced image obtained by thinning pixels so that the SHD image becomes the HD image size, or the SHD 4-divided image is switched to a quarter. The same size image is confirmed for each part (by the HD monitor 500). However, in the confirmation of the image using the reduced image, it is possible to see the entire focus change, but it is difficult to see the in-focus state of the object at the focus distance position. In the confirmation of an image using, the point of interest is not always in the screen, and the display is insufficient for quick evaluation.

In addition, the HD monitor 500 is configured as a four-sided multi-display device, and the multi-display device is installed in a moving body such as a car so that a captured image sent from the shooting site is monitored in the moving body. Has also been done. However, the device configuration becomes larger, and it may be possible to stop only at a location far away from the shooting location. Therefore, a person different from the photographer must evaluate the image, and the photographer's intention to capture the image (attention point) may not be known, and the pass / fail determination of the image may not be performed.
JP 2000-152145 A JP 2002-374443 A JP-A-6-38102

  As described above, when an image recorded in a conventional image recording / playback apparatus is played back and displayed to check a captured image, the evaluator does not know the location of the point of interest in the image, and the image check operation There was a problem that it could not be performed efficiently.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image recording / reproducing apparatus capable of efficiently confirming a photographed image.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the invention according to claim 1 images the subject and records the image data continuously input from an imaging means for generating image data. In addition, in an image recording / reproducing apparatus that reproduces and outputs the image data to an external device, storage means for storing the image data and image data control for storing the image data input from the imaging means in the storage means Means, attention point information control means for storing attention point information indicating the attention point in the image data and indicating the attention point in the image data, and at the time of reproducing the image data, An image recording / reproducing apparatus comprising image processing means for processing the image data based on the image data.

  The attention point indicates a point to be noted in the image data. The attention point is not limited to a strict point, and may be a region including the point. The attention point information is information including, for example, information indicating the position of the attention point and information indicating the size of a certain region including the attention point.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first aspect, the image processing means generates a reduced image data obtained by reducing the number of pixels of the image data based on the image data. An image generation means and trimming image generation means for generating a trimming image data by cutting out a part including the attention point from the image data based on the attention point information.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image recording / reproducing apparatus according to the second aspect, the trimmed image generating unit further includes a part of the image data including the attention point based on the attention point information. The image data is cut out, and image data having the same number of pixels as the cut-out image data or image data enlarged by converting the number of pixels is generated as trimmed image data.

  When an image based on the trimmed image data generated by the trimmed image generating means is displayed on a display means such as a monitor, if the number of pixels of the clipped image data is equal to the number of pixels of the display means, the clipped image data The number of pixels is not converted, and the trimmed image data is set to the same size. Further, when the number of pixels of the cut-out image data is smaller than the number of pixels of the display means, the number of pixels equal to the number of pixels of the display means is obtained by converting the number of pixels of the cut-out image data and enlarging the image. The image data is trimmed image data.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image recording / reproducing apparatus according to the second or third aspect, the image data input from the imaging unit is obtained by dividing one image into a plurality of regions. A plurality of image data representing an image of the image, further comprising image composition means for combining the plurality of image data and generating one composite image data, wherein the reduced image generation means is based on the composite image data. Generating reduced image data in which the number of pixels of the composite image data is reduced, and the trimming image generation means cuts out a part including the attention point from the composite image data based on the attention point information, and performs trimming Image data is generated.

  When the imaging means for generating the image data is, for example, an ultra high-definition moving image camera (SHD camera), the imaging means divides the SHD image into four parts and, for example, an image recording / reproducing device based on the HD-SDI standard. Output to. In this case, the image synthesizing unit generates SHD image data by synthesizing four HD image data corresponding to each of the four divided SHD images. The reduced image generation means generates reduced image data by thinning out pixels of the SHD image data or performing pixel interpolation. The trimming image generation means generates trimming image data from the SHD image data based on the attention point information.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, the attention point information is cut out by the position of the attention point and the trimming image generation means. It is information indicating the size of the area to be displayed.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, the reduced image generating means further determines the attention point based on the attention point information. Attention point image data for display is generated, and the attention point image data is synthesized with the reduced image data.

  The image based on the attention point image data may be an image indicating the position of the attention point or the region including the attention point. For example, an image frame indicating the size of the area including the attention point, an arrow mark indicating the position of the attention point, vertical and horizontal lines passing through the attention point, a cross mark centering on the attention point, or a combination of these images As long as it can be displayed.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, an attention point input means for inputting the attention point by a user, and the attention point input means And a point of interest information generation means for generating the point of interest information based on the point of interest input to the screen.

  An eighth aspect of the present invention is the image recording / reproducing apparatus according to the seventh aspect, wherein the attention point input means is a pointing device to which information specifying the position coordinates of the attention point in the image data is input. It is characterized by being. The pointing device is, for example, a mouse, a track pad (track board), a track ball, or the like.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image recording / reproducing apparatus according to the eighth aspect, the attention point input means includes display means for displaying an image including the attention point, and a position of the attention point is input by a user. It is characterized by comprising a touch panel.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image recording / reproducing device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the position of the point of interest in the plurality of different image data is tracked, and The apparatus further comprises attention point tracking means for updating the attention point information in accordance with the displacement of the position of the attention point when the position is displaced.

  According to the present invention, the attention point information indicating the attention point in the captured image data is recorded together with the image data, and the image data is processed based on the attention point information when the image is reproduced. The effect that the confirmation work of the obtained image can be performed efficiently is obtained.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, each component in the figure will be described. The image control unit 201 controls image data recording and reproduction. When recording an image, the image control unit 201 records input image information indicating image data for each of a plurality of frames included in the video data, which is input from an external device via an interface (not shown), in the HDD 202 ( Store. The input image information is usually output from a moving image digital camera and input to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200. The image control unit 201 reads out image data frame by frame from the HDD 202 and outputs the image data to the image reproduction processing unit 206 during image reproduction.

  The image control unit 201 also has a function of recording image data input from an external device in the HDD 202 and simultaneously outputting image data to the image reproduction processing unit 206 as a reproduction image. Further, the image control unit 201 outputs image identification information for identifying the image data of each frame (image data sequence number, time code indicating photographing time, etc.) to the point-of-interest information control unit 205.

  The HDD 202 stores image data, attention point information, and the like. The attention point information is associated with the image data, and includes attention point position information indicating the position of the attention point in the image data, and region size information indicating the size of the region including the attention point. The point of interest is a point that should be noted in the captured image, which includes the shooting intention and purpose of the shooting side, but does not necessarily mean an exact point, but has a spread on the image including that point. It also includes other areas. Details of the attention point information will be described later.

  The input instruction unit 204 is a device such as a touch panel operated by the user, and information specifying the position of the target point is input asynchronously. The input instruction unit 204 outputs this information as attention information to the attention point information control unit 205 via the interface. The attention information is physical coordinate information indicating the position of the attention point and the size of the region including the attention point in the input instruction unit 204. This input instruction unit 204 is provided outside the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200.

  The attention point information control unit 205 generates attention point information based on the attention information output from the input instruction unit 204, and controls recording and reproduction of the attention point information. The attention point information control unit 205 assigns the image identification information output from the image control unit 201 to the attention point information when recording the attention point information, and records the attention point information in the HDD 202. As a result, attention point information associated with the image data of each frame is recorded in the HDD 202. When generating attention point information, the attention point information control unit 205 converts physical coordinate information indicated by the attention information into position information on the image data. At this time, the attention point information control unit 205 The conversion formula used by is stored in advance in a RAM (not shown) or the like.

  The attention point information control unit 205 reads attention point information from the HDD 202 and outputs the attention point information to the image reproduction processing unit 206 when reproducing the attention point information. The attention point information control unit 205 also has a function of recording attention point information in the HDD 202 and simultaneously outputting the attention point information to the image reproduction processing unit 206. The image reproduction processing unit 206 outputs the image data output from the image control unit 201 as reproduction image information to an external device (such as an editing device), and processes the image data (reduced image data and Generation of trimmed image data), and the generated reduced image data and trimmed image data are output to an external display device.

  Any input image information and attention information input means for the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 may be used as long as each information can be transferred from the moving image digital camera and the input instruction unit 204 to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200. For example, a general standard such as HD-SDI or LAN may be used, and as long as the information of interest is limited, a low-speed interface such as RS232C, USB, or IEEE-1394 may be used. As long as the communication can be achieved, an original interface may be used. In addition, as in the present embodiment, it is possible to input the input image information and the attention information from physically different interfaces, but the attention information is input as information added to the input image information through one interface. It does not matter.

  The image reproduction processing unit 206 outputs the image data as reproduction image information basically with the same interface and format specifications as the input image information. The image reproduction processing unit 206 outputs the image data read from the HDD 202, but it is also possible to switch the input image information as it is and output it to the monitor. The image data recorded in the HDD 202 is recorded without compression by the image control unit 201, but can also be recorded by lossless data compression. When compressed data is recorded, the image reproduction processing unit 206 performs expansion processing.

  Next, attention point information will be described. FIG. 2 shows a temporal relationship between input image information and attention point information. In the figure, it is shown that attention point information is associated with the image data of each frame constituting the input image information. Image identification information indicating the correspondence between image data and attention point information is incidental information, and is not shown here. In the figure, P1, P2,..., Px indicate attention point position information, and S1, S2,..., Sx indicate area size information.

  The attention point information control unit 205 uses the default value information (Px, Sx) as the attention point information until the input by the user in the input instruction unit 204 is confirmed and the attention information is input. When the user designates the attention point and the size of the area including the attention point in the input instruction unit 204, the input instruction unit 204 generates attention information and outputs it to the attention point information control unit 205 via the interface. The point-of-interest information control unit 205 converts the point-of-interest information into point-of-interest information, and sets the point-of-interest information corresponding to the closest frame after the point in time when the point-of-interest information is input.

  For example, as shown in the figure, when attention information (P1 ′, S1 ′) is input from the input instruction unit 204, information indicated by attention point information corresponding to the next image frame at this time is (P1, S1). ) Also, when information for changing only attention point position information or only region size information is input, the attention point information corresponding to the next image frame is changed according to the designation. Note that the attention information is not generated discontinuously, but the input instruction unit 204 continuously generates the attention information. If no input is performed by the user, the same attention information is continuously generated. The attention information may be updated when an input is made by the user.

  The physical coordinate information input from the input instruction unit 204 is converted into coordinate points on the input image by the attention point information control unit 205 using a conversion formula for conversion to coordinate points on the input image. . The attention information from the input instruction unit 204 may be one piece of information from the internal function of the moving image digital camera, or may be output from another device. Note that the attention point information only needs to be logically linked to each piece of image data constituting the input image information and recorded in the HDD 202, and the input image information and the attention point information are stored in separate files as data. Or may be recorded on a different recording medium.

  Next, the operation of the image recording apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, an operation in the case where the input image information and attention point information that has been input is once recorded and then the image is reproduced will be described. Image data of each frame constituting the input image information is input to the image control unit 201 via an interface (not shown). The image control unit 201 outputs image identification information for identifying the image data to the attention point information control unit 205 and records the image data in the HDD 202.

  The attention point information control unit 205 receives attention information discontinuously (asynchronously) via the interface. The point-of-interest information control unit 205 generates point-of-interest information for the first frame of image data using a predetermined initial value set in advance. The attention point information control unit 205 assigns the image identification information output from the image control unit 201 to the attention point information, and records the attention point information in the HDD 202. The attention point information control unit 205 holds the generated attention point information in a RAM (not shown), and monitors the input of attention information from the input instruction unit 204.

  When attention information is not input, the attention point information control unit 205 adds the image identification information output from the image control unit 201 to the held attention point information, and records the attention point information in the HDD 202. To do. When attention information is input and information indicating the position of the attention point is included in the attention information, the attention information control unit 205 reads and refers to a coordinate conversion formula from a RAM (not shown), and The attention point position information in the attention point information held is updated based on the information on the attention point position.

  In addition, when attention information is input and information indicating the size of the region including the attention point is included in the attention information, the attention information control unit 205 displays the information indicating the size of the region including the attention point. Based on this, the region size information in the attention point information held is updated. The attention information control unit 205 assigns image identification information to the attention point information updated as described above, and records the attention point information in the HDD 202.

  When image reproduction is performed, the image control unit 201 reads out image data from the HDD 202 and outputs the image data to the image reproduction processing unit 206. The attention point information control unit 205 reads attention point information associated with the image data from the HDD 202 and outputs the attention point information to the image reproduction processing unit 206.

  The image reproduction processing unit 206 converts the image data into two types of image formats and outputs them simultaneously. One is a reduced image output, and the image reproduction processing unit 206 generates reduced image data in which the resolution (number of pixels) is reduced by thinning out pixels of the image data or by performing pixel interpolation, and the reduced image data is converted into the reduced image data. Output. The other is trimmed image output, and the image reproduction processing unit 206 includes the attention point from the image data based on the attention point position information and the region size information indicated by the attention point information, and based on the region size information. The image data of a predetermined size is cut out, and the cut out image data (trimming image data) is output.

  The size of the cutout area when trimming image data is cut out is usually determined based on the area size information included in the point-of-interest information, but the pixel size of the external display device may be provided as a maximum size limit value. Is possible. That is, when the size of the cutout area is the maximum, the display image on the display device is the same size. In addition, when the size of the cutout area is smaller than the pixel size of the display device, the number of pixels of the trimmed image data is converted using pixel interpolation or the like to enlarge the image, and is the same size as the display image on the display device. Size.

  Note that by setting the minimum size of the cutout area as a limit value, it is possible to limit expansion to a meaningless area. A reduced image and a trimmed image are displayed on an external HD monitor or the like, and the evaluator determines whether the image is good or bad. At the time of editing, the image control unit 201 reads image data for editing from the HDD 202 and outputs it to the image reproduction processing unit 206. The image reproduction processing unit 206 outputs the image data as reproduction image information to an external editing device or the like.

  Since the attention point information is information linked to each successive image data, the display content of the trimmed image changes according to the information. In other words, even if shooting is performed while the camera is stationary and the captured image data is generated, only the point of interest information is changed. Display.

  The attention point information control unit 205 reads the attention point information recorded in the HDD 202 and outputs the attention point information to another external device via the interface. The other external device uses this attention point information. Also good.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, at the time of image recording, the attention point information control unit 205 generates attention point information and stores it in the HDD 202 in association with the input image information. Further, at the time of image reproduction, the image reproduction processing unit 206 generates reduced image data in which the number of pixels of the image data is reduced, and a part of the image data including the attention point from the image data based on the attention point information. And the image data having the same number of pixels as the number of pixels of the display device or the image data enlarged by converting the number of pixels is generated as trimmed image data.

  By recording the point of interest you want to focus on at the time of playback and the region that includes the point of interest at the same time as the point-of-interest information at the time of recording the image, anyone can view the replayed image at any time, and the intended attention on the shooting side The image of the point position can be known. In addition, if a reduced image is displayed, the overall composition and overall image balance can be determined, and if a trimmed image is displayed, a detailed image near the point of interest can be observed, and image evaluation can be performed. Can be performed efficiently.

  Further, the attention point information includes attention point position information indicating the position of the attention point and region size information indicating the size of the region including the attention point, and the image reproduction processing unit 206 performs the attention point position information and the region size information. By generating a trimmed image based on the above, it is possible to arbitrarily change the position and size of the target point intended by the photographer.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image recording / reproducing system including the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment. Hereinafter, each component in the figure will be described. The description of the same configuration as in FIG. 1 is omitted. The SHD video camera 100 captures an SHD image and outputs the output as SHD captured image data. The SHD video camera 100 has a 5-channel HD-SDI digital signal interface.

  The image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 is connected to the SHD video camera 100, records the SHD image output from the SHD video camera 100, and reproduces SHD image reproduction data when reproducing the image for editing. The HD-SDI signal is output to the editing apparatus 300. Also, the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 generates a reduced image and a trimmed image, and outputs each image to the HD monitor 700 and the HD monitor 800, as in the first embodiment.

  The editing apparatus 300 is connected to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 during editing, and edits reproduction data output from the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200. If shooting exceeding the storage capacity of the HDD 202 of the image recording / playback apparatus 200 is required during shooting, the shooting data is transferred to the tape device using a digital interface (not shown) such as a fiber channel, and the tape is recorded. Perform a backup. At the time of editing in this case, the shooting data recorded on the tape can be directly transferred to the editing device 300 and edited by the editing device 300.

  The HD monitor 500 is connected to the SHD video camera 100 and displays an image based on the shooting data output from the SHD video camera 100. By connecting four HD monitors 500 in parallel to the image data output signal of HD-SDI, it is possible to simultaneously confirm an equal-magnification image of ¼ each. The HD monitor 600 is connected to the SHD video camera 100 and displays a reduced image based on the reduced image data output from the SHD video camera 100.

  The HD monitor 700 is connected to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 and displays a reduced image based on the reduced image data output from the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200. The HD monitor 800 is connected to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 and displays a trimmed image based on the trimmed image data output from the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200.

  Of the five channels of the SHD video camera 100, four channels are HD divided image output channels obtained by dividing the SHD image data into four squares and converting them into HD image sizes. FIG. 3 shows a state in which shooting data corresponding to each divided image is input to four HD monitors 500 and the divided images are displayed. The same 4-channel image data is input to the image control unit 201 via the interface of the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200.

  The other channel is a reduced image output channel obtained by thinning out the pixels of the SHD image data and converting it to a reduced image of the HD image size. FIG. 3 shows a state where the channel is connected to the HD monitor 600 and the reduced image is displayed. The touch panel 400 is a transmissive touch panel, and is placed on the display surface of the HD monitor 600 on which a reduced image is displayed. The touch panel 400 generates attention data corresponding to the attention information in the first embodiment based on an operation of designating the attention point by the user, and the attention point information control unit 205 via the interface of the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200. Output to. The attention point information control unit 205 performs processing related to attention point data corresponding to attention point information, as in the first embodiment.

  Next, detailed functions and operations of the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 will be described. The image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 is provided with a HDD 202 as a recording medium, and can record SHD image data continuously. The image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 is provided with three operation modes of “recording operation mode”, “reproduction operation mode”, and “recording / monitoring operation mode”.

  Normally, in the “recording operation mode”, the four-divided image data output from the SHD video camera 100 as a 4-channel HD-SDI digital signal is input to the image control unit 201 as input image information. The image control unit 201 records (saves) the four divided image data in the HDD 202. In this case, the image control unit 201 provides an area corresponding to each of the four types of image data in the HDD 202, and records the divided image data in each area. In each area, each frame of image data corresponding to that area is continuously recorded.

  In the “reproduction operation mode”, the image control unit 201 reads out image data corresponding to four divisions from the HDD 202 and outputs the image data to the image reproduction processing unit 206. The image reproduction processing unit 206 reproduces the four division image data into reproduction image information. Are output by the same 4-channel HD-SDI digital signal interface as the input image information. In the “recording / monitoring operation mode”, the image control unit 201 records the input four-divided image data on the HDD 202 and outputs the image data to the image reproduction processing unit 206.

  Although the image data recorded on the HDD 202 can be recorded without compression, the image control unit 201 performs recording with lossless data compression processing. When the recorded image data is compressed data, the image reproduction processing unit 206 automatically performs image data expansion processing and outputs the expanded image data.

  When an image is reproduced in the “recording / monitoring operation mode” or “reproduction operation mode”, the image reproduction processing unit 206 further performs a process of converting the image data into two types of image formats. One is “reduced image output” and the other is “trimmed image output”. In “reduced image output”, the image data divided into four parts read out from the HDD 202 is synthesized to generate one synthesized image data (SHD image data), and the pixels of the synthesized image data are thinned out or pixel-interpolated. By doing this, reduced-size image data of HD size is generated and output via HD-SDI. FIG. 3 shows how the reduced image is displayed by the HD monitor 700 connected to the HD-SDI.

  In the image displayed by the HD monitor 700, a frame image (image frame) indicating the position of the point of interest and the size of the region including the point of interest is also displayed. The image reproduction processing unit 206 generates frame image data based on the point of interest position information and the region size information in the point of interest data, combines it with the reduced image, and outputs it to the HD monitor 700. An arrow mark (see FIG. 3) indicating the position of the attention point is displayed together with the image frame, and a vertical line and a horizontal line passing through the center of the image frame (usually coincides with the position of the attention point) are displayed. Alternatively, a cross mark centered on the point of interest may be displayed. Further, only these marks and the like may be displayed without displaying the image frame.

  In “trimmed image output”, the image reproduction processing unit 206 outputs image data indicating an image of an area including an attention point based on the attention point position information in the attention point data and having a size based on the area size information. Cut out from the image data, convert the image data to HD size, and output as trimmed image data. FIG. 3 shows how the trimmed image is displayed by the HD monitor 800 connected to the HD-SDI. The size of this cut-out area is normally determined from area size information in the point-of-interest data, but the pixel size of the HD monitor 800 can also be provided as a maximum size limit value. That is, when the size of the cutout area is the maximum, the display image on the monitor 800 is the same size.

  When the size of the cut-out area is smaller than the pixel size of the monitor 800, the number of pixels of the trimmed image data is converted and enlarged using pixel interpolation or the like, so that the size is the same size as the display image on the display device 800. . Further, by setting the minimum size of the cutout area as a limit value, it is possible to limit expansion to a meaningless area.

  Next, a method for indicating the attention point will be described. The attention point position and area size of the attention point are instructed by the user via the transmissive touch panel 400. Although direct pointing operation by hand can be performed on the touch panel 400, the operation can be performed by a pen input device with one button. Normally, the touch panel 400 operates in the “position information instruction mode”, and when the user moves the fingertip or the pen tip on the touch panel 400 and designates the point of interest, the position coordinates on the touch panel 400 corresponding to the designated position. Is transferred as attention data. When the user is not operating anything (when there is no pen or fingertip on the touch panel), the position coordinates at the last operation are transferred.

  In addition, an instruction for the size of the region including the attention point is as follows. When the user scans the touch panel while pressing the pen input button, the touch panel 400 operates in the “region size designation mode”. In this operation, a coordinate that designates the current pointing coordinate position in the “region size designation mode” as half of the diagonal distance of the rectangle, with the position at the last operation in the “position information instruction mode” as the center is designated. . In other words, a circle is defined with the position at the time of the last operation in the “position information instruction mode” as the coordinate center and the radius as the current pointing coordinate position in the “area size designation mode”. A rectangular area having a vertex at the current pointing coordinate position is a target point area including the target point.

  In order to input the position of the attention point using the touch panel 400, it is necessary to determine in advance the correspondence between the position of the pixel in the image displayed on the screen of the HD monitor 600 and the position of the pixel on the touch panel 400. is there. Information indicating this correspondence can be generated, for example, by performing calibration using a test image. Thereby, the position of the point of interest in the image on the HD monitor 600 designated by the user via the touch panel 400 and the position of the point of interest in the image data recorded on the HDD 202 can be matched. Although the resolution of the touch panel 400 is lower than the resolution of the HD monitor 600, the user does not necessarily specify the position of the attention point up to the accurate pixel position, so the above correspondence relationship does not necessarily have to be accurate. Absent.

  With the above operation, an image taken by a director or a cameraman at the time of shooting can be observed on the monitor 600 as a reduced image from the SHD video camera 100. The touch panel 400 on the monitor screen performs photographing / recording while designating a position of interest. Therefore, in the “recording operation mode” of the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200, the reduced image from the SHD moving image camera 100 is observed on the HD monitor 600, and the touch panel 400 placed on the monitor screen is used.

  Even in the “recording / monitoring operation mode”, a reduced image from the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 can be observed on the HD monitor 700. Therefore, the touch panel 400 can be placed on the HD monitor 700 to input a point of interest. FIG. 4 shows a display state in this case. Since the frame based on the point of interest data is superimposed on the HD monitor 700, the pointing operation input and the input coordinate position can be observed in real time, so that a more intuitive operation is possible. Note that a pointing input device other than the touch panel may be used to input the coordinates of the target point position. For example, a coordinate value on the screen can be designated by combining a display device with a mouse, a track pad (track board), a track ball, or the like.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the image reproduction processing unit 206 generates reduced image data based on the SHD image data (synthesized image data), and the HD monitor 700 displays the reduced image. The entire screen can be viewed without the need for a display device. In addition, the image reproduction processing unit 206 generates trimmed image data based on the SHD image data, and the HD monitor 800 displays the trimmed image. You can see the enlarged image of the point of interest.

  In addition, the image reproduction processing unit 206 generates image data for displaying an image frame or the like indicating the attention point based on the attention point position information and the region size information in the attention point data, and the reduced image data and By synthesizing and displaying the image frame and the like together with the reduced image by the HD monitor 700, it is possible to easily confirm where the position of the attention point is in the entire image.

  In addition, an HD monitor 600 (or HD monitor 700) and a touch panel 400 are provided as means for inputting a point of interest, and an object on the screen is specified by touching the touch panel 400 with a fingertip or a pen tip or the like to designate the point of interest. The point of interest can be designated while looking at the object, and the point of interest can be designated more directly and intuitively. Furthermore, by using a pointing input device as means for inputting a point of interest, a simple pointing operation can be performed.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment. This image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 is provided with an attention point tracking unit 207. When the image data is reproduced, the attention point information control unit 205 reads the attention point data from the HDD 202 and outputs it to the attention point tracking unit 207. The attention point tracking unit 207 monitors and tracks the attention point based on the attention point data and the reduced image data generated by the image reproduction processing unit 206.

  The attention point tracking unit 207 includes attention point data (TG_curr) corresponding to the current image frame, attention point data (TG_prev) corresponding to the previous image frame, and attention point tracking data (TR_curr) corresponding to the current image frame. , And attention point tracking data (TR_prev) corresponding to the previous image frame are stored and managed internally. When the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 is operating in the “recording operation mode”, the image reproduction processing unit 206 does not operate, and the point of interest data and the image information are recorded in the HDD 202 in synchronization.

  Next, attention point tracking processing by the attention point tracking unit 207 in the “recording / monitoring operation mode” will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the attention point tracking unit 207. This operation is performed in each frame. Shooting data indicating quadrant image data is input to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200, recorded on the HDD 202 by the image control unit 201, and output to the image reproduction processing unit 206. The image reproduction processing unit 206 generates synthesized image data by combining the four divided image data, and generates reduced image data and trimmed image data based on the combined image data. The attention point data (TR_curr) used when the image reproduction processing unit 206 generates the trimmed image data is processed by the attention point tracking unit 207 as described below. In addition, the image reproduction processing unit 206 transfers the generated reduced image data to the attention point tracking unit 207.

  The attention point information control unit 205 generates attention point data TG (Pn, Sn) based on the input attention data, records it in the HDD 202, and outputs it to the attention point tracking unit 207. Attention point tracking unit 207 receives attention point data TG (Pn, Sn) (step S601). The attention point tracking unit 207 records the attention point data TG (Pn, Sn) as the current attention point data (TG_curr) (step S602). Subsequently, the attention point tracking unit 207 determines whether or not the initialization operation has been completed (step S603). Immediately after the start of the “recording / monitoring operation mode”, since the initialization operation is being performed, the process proceeds to step S604.

  In step S604, the attention point tracking unit 207 holds the current attention point data (TG_curr) as the current attention point tracking data (TR_curr). Subsequently, the attention point tracking unit 207 transfers the current attention point tracking data (TR_curr) to the image reproduction processing unit 206 as data for generating a trimmed image (step S610). The image reproduction processing unit 206 generates trimmed image data based on the current attention point tracking data (TR_curr). The attention point tracking unit 207 holds the current attention point data (TG_curr) as the previous attention point data (TG_prev), and the current attention point tracking data (TR_curr) as the previous attention point tracking data (TR_prev). Hold (step S611).

  The attention point tracking unit 207 extracts image data of a certain size area including the attention point from the reduced image data based on the previous attention point tracking data (TR_prev), and holds it as a TR_prev area image (step). S612). The size of the region to be cut out may be a size based on the region size information in the attention point tracking data, or may be a size set in advance. The subsequent process is the process of step S601 in the next frame.

  When the initialization is completed, the process proceeds from step S603 to step S605. The attention point tracking unit 207 determines whether the current attention point data (TG_curr) is equal to the previous attention point data (TG_prev) (step S605). If they are not equal (the attention point has been changed by the user), the process proceeds to step S604. On the other hand, if they are equal (the attention point has not been changed by the user), the attention point tracking unit 207 performs attention point image comparison processing (step S606).

  Details of the attention point image comparison processing are shown in the flowchart of FIG. The attention point tracking unit 207 acquires the reduced image data generated by the image reproduction processing unit 206 (step S6061). Subsequently, the attention point tracking unit 207 performs image matching processing using the TR_prev region image that is always stored at the end of the attention point tracking processing (step S612) as template image data.

  In this processing, the attention point tracking unit 207 scans the reduced image data while shifting the template image data in the two-dimensional direction, and the difference between the pixels of the template image data and the reduced image data for each scanning position. Find the total value (cross-correlation) of the values. Then, the attention point tracking unit 207 obtains the scanning position having the smallest difference value within the range in which the two-dimensional scanning is performed (step S6062). Subsequently, the attention point tracking unit 207 obtains the motion vector v of the attention point between the preceding and following frames from this scanning position (step S6063). The subsequent processing returns to FIG.

  The attention point tracking unit 207 determines whether or not the motion vector amount | v | is greater than or equal to a certain threshold value (step S607). The attention point tracking unit 207 determines that the attention point is displaced when | v | is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and the attention point is displaced when | v | is less than the threshold value. Judge that there is no. When the attention point is not displaced, the attention point tracking unit 207 sets the previous attention point tracking data (TR_prev) as the current attention point tracking data (TR_curr) (step S608). When the attention point is displaced, the attention point tracking unit 207 adds the displacement amount v to the previous attention point tracking data (TR_prev) and holds the value as the current attention point tracking data (TR_curr) (step S609). ).

  In the “playback operation mode”, the attention point information control unit 205 reads attention point data from the HDD 202 and outputs it to the attention point tracking unit 207. The operations of the image reproduction processing unit 206 and the attention point tracking unit 207 are the same as those in the “recording / monitoring operation mode”.

  As a result of the above processing, when the user first designates the point of interest position and the point of interest region size, the point of interest tracking unit 207 thereafter monitors the movement of the point of interest (steps S606 to S607 in FIG. 6). When the attention point is displaced, the attention point tracking data is updated according to the displacement (step S609 in FIG. 6), so that the object in the attention point region can be automatically tracked. Further, when the user designates the attention point position and the attention point region size again, the tracking of the attention point can be canceled.

  In this way, even if the photographer does not always indicate the attention point of the captured image, the attention point tracking unit 207 tracks the attention point, and the image reproduction processing unit 206 is based on the tracked position of the attention point. Generate a trimmed image. Further, if an HD monitor is connected to the HD-SDI to which reduced image data is output, an image frame indicating a point-of-interest area that is being automatically tracked is displayed superimposed on the reduced image. The attention point tracking process by the point tracking unit 207 can be confirmed.

  In the attention point image comparison process (step S606) in FIG. 6, a reduced image is acquired and template matching is performed. However, the original image (a synthesized image of four-divided images) is used instead of the reduced image. May be. In this case, the tracking accuracy of the attention point can be further increased, but the calculation processing cost of the system is expected to increase. Also, the scanning range for template matching takes a lot of processing time if the entire reduced screen is scanned. Therefore, by narrowing the scanning range to a certain size range including the image area indicated by the attention point tracking data (TR_prev). , Processing time can be reduced.

  The method for tracking feature points can use various methods such as a method for obtaining a motion vector by optical flow and a method for paying attention to the motion of the center of gravity of a feature region, and is not limited to this embodiment. . In addition, since there is a case where an operation for manually instructing an attention point is necessary, the “attention point tracking operation mode” or the like may be set to switch the movement.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the attention point tracking unit 207 tracks the position of the attention point in the image data, and when the position of the attention point is displaced, attention is paid according to the displacement of the position of the attention point. Since the point data is updated, the movement of the point of interest can be automatically tracked without the user always instructing the point of interest. Therefore, the point of interest can be designated more easily, and the burden on the user who designates the point of interest can be reduced.

  In addition, when there are a plurality of attention points on the photographed image that the photographer pays attention to, the information may be additionally recorded in the attention point information, and the attention point information is limited to information about one attention point. is not. Further, information such as camera shooting conditions may be included in the attention point information. In all the embodiments described above, the camera such as the SHD video camera 100 for shooting and the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 are separate apparatuses. However, the image recording / reproducing apparatus 200 is built in the camera, You may comprise as a body-type recording apparatus.

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and includes design changes and the like within a scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. It is.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image recording / reproducing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a reference figure showing temporal relation between input image information and attention point information in the embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the system using the image recording / reproducing apparatus by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the other structure of the system using the image recording / reproducing apparatus by the embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the image recording / reproducing apparatus by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the attention point tracking part 207 by the embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the attention point tracking part 207 by the embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the system using the conventional image recording / reproducing apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the conventional imaging | photography. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the conventional editing.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... SHD moving image camera, 200 ... Image recording / reproducing apparatus, 201 ... Image control part, 202 ... HDD, 203,206 ... Image reproduction process part, 204 ... Input instruction | indication part 204 205 ... attention point information control unit, 207 ... attention point tracking unit, 300 ... editing device, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800 ... HD monitor.

Claims (10)

In an image recording / reproducing apparatus that images a subject and records the image data continuously input from an imaging unit that generates image data, and reproduces the image data and outputs it to an external device.
Storage means for storing the image data;
Image data control means for storing the image data input from the imaging means in the storage means;
Attention point information control means for storing attention point information associated with the image data and indicating the attention point in the image data in the storage means;
Image processing means for processing the image data based on the attention point information when reproducing the image data;
An image recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: The image processing means includes
Reduced image generation means for generating reduced image data obtained by reducing the number of pixels of the image data based on the image data;
Trimming image generation means for cutting out a part including the attention point from the image data based on the attention point information and generating trimming image data;
The image recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The trimmed image generation means further cuts out part of the image data including the attention point from the image data based on the attention point information, and image data having the same number of pixels as the cut-out image data, or pixels The image recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image data enlarged by converting the number is generated as trimmed image data. The image data input from the imaging means is a plurality of image data in which one image is divided into a plurality of regions and indicates an image of each region,
Further comprising image combining means for combining the plurality of image data and generating one combined image data;
The reduced image generation means generates reduced image data in which the number of pixels of the composite image data is reduced based on the composite image data,
The trimming image generation means cuts out a part including the attention point from the composite image data based on the attention point information, and generates trimming image data. The image recording / reproducing apparatus described.   The said attention point information is information which shows the position of the said attention point, and the magnitude | size of the area | region cut out by the said trimming image production | generation means, The Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Image recording / playback device.   The reduced image generating means further generates attention point image data for displaying the attention point based on the attention point information, and synthesizes the attention point image data with the reduced image data. The image recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 2. Attention point input means for inputting the attention point by the user;
Attention point information generation means for generating the attention point information based on the attention point input to the attention point input means;
The image recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The image recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the attention point input unit is a pointing device to which information specifying a position coordinate of the attention point in the image data is input.   9. The image recording / reproducing according to claim 8, wherein the attention point input means includes display means for displaying an image including the attention point, and a touch panel on which a position of the attention point is input by a user. apparatus. Attention point tracking means for tracking the position of the attention point in a plurality of different image data and updating the attention point information in accordance with the displacement of the position of the attention point when the position of the attention point is displaced; The image recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising:

Images