JP2006174124A - Video distributing and reproducing system, video distribution device, and video reproduction device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a viewer to view the video of a selected racing object by precisely retrieving the video without performing a complicated processing and changing-over it in real time. <P>SOLUTION: A video distribution device 10 comprises a video information acquiring means 11 for acquiring video information which are photographed by a plurality of cameras 40, a photographing range information acquiring means 12 for acquiring photographing range information of each camera 40, and a position information acquiring means 13 for acquiring position information of the racing object independently from the video information. A video reproduction device 20 includes an object selecting means 22 for selecting the racing object to be viewed in response to the selecting operation of the viewer. The video distribution device 10 and/or video reproduction device 20 includes a video retrieving means 23, for retrieving the video information with the selected racing object photographed therein, based on the photographing range information and the position information; and a video changeover means 24 for automatically changing over the retrieved video information, so as to reproduce it. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to each user from a video of a game (marathon, yacht race, auto racing, horse racing, boat racing, etc.) distributed on a network such as the Internet or a TV network, or a video of a game distributed on a recording medium such as a DVD. In particular, the present invention relates to a video distribution / reproduction system, a video distribution device, and a video reproduction device that can automatically select and view a video taken by a competitor (marathon runner, yacht, car, racehorse, boat, etc.) that is attracting attention.

  Traditionally, in competitive broadcasting, video is distributed focusing on the top groups and competitors that are attracting public attention, so it is not always possible to watch each competitor's attention as a video. . In addition, as a means for the viewer to know where the competitor is now, it is only information that is regularly notified by broadcasting, and it is difficult to know in real time.

  Therefore, the position information of all competitors is collected in real time from the signal transmitters attached to each competitor, and distributed to the viewer along with the video, so that it can be viewed on the same screen where the video is viewed. An information distribution system has been proposed that displays in real time the position of a competitor that a person is paying attention to and the positional relationship with other competitors (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition to shooting competitors with multiple cameras, the position information of the competitors is extracted from the captured video information, and the video that captures the competitors that the viewer is watching is automatically switched. Video playback methods for playback have also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 to 5).
JP 2002-133008 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-026966 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-276351 JP 2004-046647 A JP 2004-146924 A

  However, in the information distribution system described in Patent Document 1, although the position information of each competitor can be known in real time, the only video that can be viewed is the conventional fixed video, and the viewer is paying attention. It is not possible to automatically select and view competitive images.

  In addition, in the video reproduction methods described in Patent Documents 2 to 5, the process of extracting the position information of the competitor from the video is complicated. There is a possibility that trouble may occur in the switching of the video due to misidentification. In addition, since the position information can be acquired only by the competitors on the captured video, it is impossible to know the overall positional relationship of each competitor.

  The present invention has been considered in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to accurately search a competitor's video selected by the viewer without complicated processing, and to switch and view the video in real time. It is an object of the present invention to provide a system, a video distribution device, and a video playback device.

  In order to achieve the above object, a video delivery / playback system according to the present invention comprises a video delivery device for delivering a competitor's video, a video playback device for playing back the video delivered by the video delivery device, and a network connecting them. A video distribution / playback system comprising: a video information acquisition unit that acquires video information captured by a plurality of cameras; a shooting range information acquisition unit that acquires shooting range information of each camera; In addition to the video information, a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of a competitor is provided, and the video reproduction device includes a target selection unit that selects a competitor to be viewed according to a viewer's selection operation. Further, the video distribution device and / or the video playback device may provide video information in which the selected competitor is shot based on the shooting range information and the position information. A video retrieval means for search, it is constituted and a video switching means for distributing or reproducing automatically switched searched image information.

  If comprised in this way, the image | video of the competitive body which the viewer selected can be searched exactly, without performing a complicated process, and it can switch and view in real time. In other words, compared to the case where the position of the competitor is extracted from the video by searching the video information based on the position information of the game object obtained separately from the video information and the shooting range information of each camera, Processing can be greatly simplified and video can be switched accurately and in real time.

In the video delivery / playback system of the present invention, the video playback device includes the video search means and the video switching means.
According to this configuration, it is not necessary to perform video search processing or video switching processing on the video distribution device side, so that the load on the video distribution device can be reduced.

In the video delivery / playback system of the present invention, the video playback device includes the video search unit, and the video delivery device includes the video switching unit.
If comprised in this way, the video information delivered to a network can be suppressed to the minimum necessary, and the load of a network can be reduced.

In the video delivery / playback system of the present invention, the video delivery device includes the video search means and the video switching means.
With this configuration, it is possible not only to reduce the video information distributed to the network to the minimum necessary and reduce the load on the network, but also to reduce the cost by omitting the processing function of the video playback device.

The video distribution device of the present invention is a video distribution device that distributes a competitor's video to a network to which the video playback device is connected, and a video information acquisition unit that acquires video information captured by a plurality of cameras. Shooting range information acquisition means for acquiring shooting range information of each camera, position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of a competitor separately from the video information, the video information, the shooting range information, and the position And information distribution means for distributing information to the network in time synchronization.
If comprised in this way, the video of the competitor selected by the viewer can be switched and viewed in real time by the combination with the video playback device including the target selection means, video search means, and video switching means. .

The video distribution device of the present invention is a video distribution device that distributes a competitor's video to a network to which the video playback device is connected, and a video information acquisition unit that acquires video information captured by a plurality of cameras. A shooting range information acquiring unit for acquiring shooting range information of each camera; a position information acquiring unit for acquiring position information of a competitor separately from the video information; and the shooting range information and the position information in terms of time. Information distribution means for distributing to the network in synchronization with the video, and video switching means for automatically switching and distributing the video information retrieved by the video reproduction device.
If comprised in this way, the image | video of the competitor selected by the viewer can be switched and watched in real time by the combination with the video reproduction apparatus provided with said object selection means and video search means.

The video distribution device of the present invention is a video distribution device that distributes a competitor's video to a network to which the video playback device is connected, and a video information acquisition unit that acquires video information captured by a plurality of cameras. Shooting range information acquisition means for acquiring shooting range information of each camera, position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of a competitor separately from the video information, and a competitor selected by the video playback device. It is configured to include a video search means for searching video information being shot based on the shooting range information and the position information, and a video switching means for automatically switching and distributing the searched video information.
If comprised in this way, the image | video of the competitor selected by the viewer can be switched and viewed in real time by the combination with the video reproduction apparatus provided with the above-described object selection means.

Also, the video playback device of the present invention is a video playback device that plays back the video of a competitor distributed to the network by the video distribution device, the video information captured by a plurality of cameras, the shooting range information of each camera, and the competition. Information receiving means for receiving body position information from the video distribution device, target selecting means for selecting a competitor to be viewed according to a viewer's selection operation, and the selected competitor are photographed It is configured to include video search means for searching for video information based on the shooting range information and the position information, and video switching means for automatically switching and reproducing the searched video information.
If comprised in this way, the image | video of the competitor selected by the viewer can be switched and viewed in real time.

Also, the video playback device of the present invention is a video playback device that plays back the video of a competitor distributed to the network by the video distribution device, the video information captured by a plurality of cameras, the shooting range information of each camera, and the competition. Information receiving means for receiving body position information from the video distribution device, target selecting means for selecting a competitor to be viewed according to a viewer's selection operation, and the selected competitor are photographed A video search means for searching for video information based on the shooting range information and the position information, and a distribution request means for requesting the video distribution apparatus to distribute the searched video information.
If comprised in this way, the image | video of the competitive body which the viewer selected can be received and viewed from a video delivery apparatus in real time.

The video playback device of the present invention is a video playback device that plays back the video of a competitor recorded on a recording medium, and includes video information shot by a plurality of cameras, shooting range information of each camera, Information reading means for reading position information from the recording medium, target selecting means for selecting a competitor to be viewed according to a viewer's selection operation, and video information on which the selected competitor is photographed, A video search means for searching based on the shooting range information and the position information, and a video switching means for automatically switching and reproducing the searched video information are provided.
If comprised in this way, the image | video of the competitor selected by the viewer can be searched from the image | video of the competitor recorded on the recording medium, and it can switch and view automatically.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately search a competitive image selected by the viewer without performing complicated processing, and switch and view the video in real time. This is compared with the case where the position of the competitor is extracted from the video by searching the video information based on the position information of the game object obtained separately from the video information and the shooting range information of each camera. This is because the processing can be greatly simplified.

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

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video distribution / playback system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a video distribution apparatus and a video playback apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in these drawings, the video distribution / reproduction system includes a video distribution device 10 that distributes a competitor's video, a video reproduction device 20 that reproduces a video distributed by the video distribution device 10, and a network connecting them. 30.
The network 30 is not particularly limited as long as it can distribute video. For example, it is configured by the Internet, a TV network, or the like.

The video distribution apparatus 10 is, for example, a server computer that distributes information via the Internet. The video information acquisition unit 11, the shooting range information acquisition unit 12, the position information acquisition unit 13, The information distribution means 14 etc. are comprised.
The video information acquisition means 11 receives video information from a plurality of cameras 40 (1 to n) installed at each point in the competition range. It is preferable that the number of installed cameras and the installation positions of these cameras 40 are set so that as many as possible competitors participating in the competition can be photographed.

The shooting range information acquisition unit 12 acquires shooting range information of each camera 40. The specific content of the shooting range information is not particularly limited as long as the shooting range of the camera 40 can be specified. For example, when the shooting range of the camera 40 is defined as a two-dimensional rectangular area, the shooting range can be specified based on each vertex coordinate of the rectangular area. Further, position data, orientation data, viewing angle data, and the like of the camera 40 may be acquired, and the shooting range may be calculated from these data.
When the shooting range of the camera 40 changes, it is necessary to acquire shooting range information from the camera 40 in real time. However, when the shooting range of the camera 40 is fixed, at any timing before the start of the competition. What is necessary is just to acquire the imaging | photography range information of each camera 40 once.

  The position information acquisition unit 13 acquires the position information of the competitor separately from the video information. That is, instead of extracting the position information of the competitor from the video information, the position information of each competitor is acquired from the positioning system 50 configured separately. As this positioning system 50, a transmitter is attached to each game object, radio waves for positioning transmitted by each transmitter are received at a plurality of locations, and the position of the competitor is specified based on the received strength (electric field strength). Examples include a field strength positioning system and a GPS positioning system in which a GPS terminal attached to each competition object receives positioning radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites and identifies the position of the competition object based on the reception timing.

  The information distribution unit 14 distributes the video information, shooting range information, position information, and the like to the network 30 in time synchronization. Moreover, it is preferable that the information delivery means 14 delivers the information regarding a competition separately from said each information, such as a map of a competition range, the information of a competitor, etc. previously or at an appropriate timing. In this way, the selection operation of the game object mentioned later becomes easy.

The video playback device 20 is, for example, a terminal computer connected to the Internet, and includes information receiving means 21, target selection means 22, video search means 23, video switching means 24, and the like by hardware and software. ing.
The information receiving unit 21 receives video information captured by the plurality of cameras 40, shooting range information of each camera 40, and competitor position information from the video distribution device 10.

  The object selection means 22 selects and sets a competitor to be viewed according to the viewer's selection operation. For example, the position information of the competitor received from the video distribution device 10 is displayed on the screen, and the viewer's selection operation using a keyboard, a mouse, or the like is prompted. Is selected, the identification information associated with the game is sent to the video search means 23.

  The video search means 23 searches the video information in which the selected competitor (hereinafter referred to as the selected athlete) is shot based on the shooting range information and the position information received from the video distribution device 10, and the search result Is sent to the video switching means 24. For example, when the shooting range is defined by a two-dimensional rectangular area, it is possible to search for the video of the selected athlete simply by comparing the position information of the selected competitor.

  When searching for video information, video information including the selected competitor is searched preferentially, but if this does not exist, the video that the selected competitor is expected to enter within the shooting range within a predetermined time ( The camera 40) is preferably a search target. As a method of predicting that the selected competitor enters the shooting range, the moving direction and moving speed of the selected competitor are determined based on the transition of position information, and the position after a predetermined time is calculated from the moving direction and moving speed. A method for identifying the camera 40 based on this position can be used. Further, in a competition in which a course is determined such as a car race, sequential numbers are assigned to the cameras 40 installed along the course, and the cameras 40 can be sequentially specified based on the camera numbers.

  In addition, when there are a plurality of videos in which the selected competitor is photographed, the video search unit 23 preferably searches for these simultaneously and sends all of the results to the video switching unit 24. Even when the viewer has selected a plurality of competitors, it is preferable to search the video for each competitor and send the results to the video switching means 24.

  The video switching means 24 automatically switches and reproduces the video information searched by the video search means 23 and sends it to a display device such as a display. At this time, it is preferable that the viewer sets switching conditions (distance switching timing conditions, temporal switching timing conditions, etc.) in advance, and video switching is performed based on these conditions. In addition, when there are a plurality of videos in which the selected competitor is photographed, or when the viewer has selected a plurality of competitors, these videos can be played back simultaneously, sequentially switched, or played back. , And can be switched according to the viewer's selection operation.

Next, the overall operation of the video distribution / playback system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the video distribution / playback system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The video distribution device 10 collects video information taken by each camera 40 and shooting range information of the camera 40 from all the cameras 40 arranged at each point in the competition range, and is measured by the positioning system 50. The position information of each competitor is collected (S101).
Each collected information is synchronized so that there is no time lag, and is distributed from the video distribution apparatus 10 to the network 30 (S102).
In addition to these information distributions, the video distribution apparatus 10 distributes a map of the competition area and information on the participating competitors at an appropriate timing before the start of the competition or during the competition (S103).

On the other hand, the viewer inputs video switching conditions (distance switching conditions, temporal switching conditions, etc.) to the video playback device 20 at an appropriate timing before the start of the competition or during the competition (S104).
The video search unit 23 sends the position information of each competitor received from the video distribution device 10 and information such as a separately received map of the competition area to the target selection unit 22 (S105).
The object selection means 22 displays the position information of each competitor and other information on the screen, and prompts the viewer to select a competitor (S106).
The viewer selects one or more competitors to view on this selection screen (S107).
Information on the selected competitor is sent from the object selection means 22 to the video search means 23 (S108).

The video search means 23 searches for video information in which the selected competitor is shot based on the shooting range information and the position information (S109).
The search result is sent to the video switching means 24 (S110).
The video switching unit 24 automatically switches and reproduces the video based on the video switching condition input from the viewer and the video search result received from the video search unit 23 (S111).

  According to the video delivery / playback system of the present embodiment configured as described above, the video delivery device 10 obtains video information taken by a plurality of cameras 40, and the shooting range of each camera 40. The shooting range information acquisition means 12 for acquiring information, the position information acquisition means 13 for acquiring the position information of the competitors separately from the video information, and the information distribution for distributing these information to the network 30 in time synchronization And an information receiving means 21 for receiving information distributed by the video distribution apparatus 10 and a target selecting means for selecting a competitor to be viewed according to a viewer's selection operation. 22 and video search means 23 for searching video information on the selected competitor based on shooting range information and position information, and automatically switching the searched video information. Because and a video switching unit 24 for reproducing Te, viewers can an image of the selected competitor, searched accurately without complicated processing, view switch to real time. That is, compared with the case where the position of the competitor is extracted from the video by searching the video information based on the position information of the game object obtained separately from the video information and the shooting range information of each camera 40. , The process can be greatly simplified and the video can be switched accurately and in real time.

  In the video distribution / playback system according to the present embodiment, the video playback device 20 includes the video search unit 23 and the video switching unit 24, so that it is not necessary to perform video search processing or video switching processing on the video distribution device 10 side. Thereby, the load of the video delivery apparatus 10 can be reduced.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a video delivery / playback system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. However, about the structure which is common in 1st embodiment, the code | symbol same as 1st embodiment is attached | subjected and description of 1st embodiment is used.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a video distribution device and a video playback device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the video delivery / playback system of the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the video switching means 15 is provided on the video delivery device 10 side. Thereby, as operations, the search result searched by the video reproduction device 20 is transmitted to the video distribution device 10, and the search result received by the video distribution device 10 and the video switching condition specified by the viewer are distributed. The point which selects the video which should be different, and the point which distributes only the selected image | video according to each viewer differ from 1st embodiment.

  According to the video delivery / playback system of the second embodiment configured as described above, the video information delivered to the network 30 can be minimized, and the load on the network 30 can be reduced. However, since the video distribution device 10 requires a video switching process for each viewer, the processing load increases.

[Third embodiment]
Next, a video delivery / playback system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a video distribution device and a video playback device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the video delivery / playback system of the third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the video search means 16 and the video switching means 15 are provided on the video delivery device 10 side. . Thereby, as operations, the information on the competitor selected by the viewer is transmitted from the video reproduction device 20 to the video distribution device 10, and the video distribution device 10 searches for the video in which the selected competitor is photographed. And the point which distributes only the searched image | video for every viewer differs from 1st embodiment.

According to the video delivery / playback system of the third embodiment configured as described above, the viewer simply prepares a simple video playback device 20 having the target selection means 22, and the video of the competitor who is paying attention to. Can be automatically selected for viewing.
In addition, since the video information distributed to the network 30 is minimized, the load on the network 30 can be reduced. However, since the video distribution apparatus 10 requires a process of video search and video switching for each viewer, the processing load increases.

[Fourth embodiment]
Next, a video distribution / playback system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The video delivery / playback system of the fourth embodiment records all information delivered from the video delivery device 10 (video information, shooting range information, position information, etc.) on a recording medium such as a DVD, and the video playback device 20 uses the video delivery device. The point that all information is acquired from the recording medium instead of 10 is different from the above embodiment.

  According to the video delivery / playback system of the fourth embodiment configured as described above, the recording medium reading device serves as the video delivery device 10, and the video playback device 20 not connected to the network 30 is also of the present invention. An effect is obtained. That is, the competitor's video selected by the viewer can be searched from the competitor's video recorded on the recording medium and automatically switched for viewing.

  The present invention is applied to a video distribution / reproduction system, a video distribution apparatus, and a video reproduction apparatus for distributing / reproducing a video of a competition (marathon, yacht race, auto racing, horse racing, boat racing, etc.). In particular, a video delivery / reproduction system, a video delivery device, and a video that can automatically select and view a video taken as a subject of a competitor (marathon runner, yacht, car, racehorse, boat, etc.) that each user is paying attention to. Useful in playback devices.

1 is a block diagram of a video distribution / playback system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video distribution device and a video playback device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the whole operation | movement of the video delivery reproduction system which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the video delivery apparatus and video reproduction apparatus which concern on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the video delivery apparatus and video reproduction apparatus which concern on 3rd embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Video distribution apparatus 11 Video information acquisition means 12 Shooting range information acquisition means 13 Position information acquisition means 14 Information distribution means 20 Video reproduction apparatus 21 Information reception means 22 Object selection means 23 Video search means 24 Video switching means 30 Network 40 Camera 50 Positioning system

Claims (10)

A video delivery / playback system comprising a video delivery device for delivering a video of a competitor, a video playback device for playing back the video delivered by the video delivery device, and a network connecting them,
The video distribution device is
Video information acquisition means for acquiring video information captured by a plurality of cameras;
Shooting range information acquisition means for acquiring shooting range information of each camera;
Aside from the video information, comprising position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of a competitor,
The video playback device is
In accordance with the viewer's selection operation, it has a target selection means for selecting a competitor to be viewed,
Further, the video distribution device and / or the video playback device are:
Video search means for searching for video information in which the selected competitor is shot based on the shooting range information and the position information;
A video distribution / playback system comprising: a video switching means for automatically switching and distributing or reproducing the searched video information. The video distribution / playback system according to claim 1, wherein the video playback device includes the video search unit and the video switching unit. The video distribution / playback system according to claim 1, wherein the video playback device includes the video search unit, and the video distribution device includes the video switching unit. The video delivery / playback system according to claim 1, wherein the video delivery device includes the video search unit and the video switching unit. A video distribution device that distributes a competitor's video to a network to which the video playback device is connected,
Video information acquisition means for acquiring video information captured by a plurality of cameras;
Shooting range information acquisition means for acquiring shooting range information of each camera;
Apart from the video information, position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of a competitor,
An image delivery apparatus comprising: information delivery means for delivering the video information, the shooting range information, and the position information to the network in time synchronization. A video distribution device that distributes a competitor's video to a network to which the video playback device is connected,
Video information acquisition means for acquiring video information captured by a plurality of cameras;
Shooting range information acquisition means for acquiring shooting range information of each camera;
Apart from the video information, position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of a competitor,
Information distribution means for synchronizing the imaging range information and the position information in time to distribute to the network;
A video distribution device comprising: video switching means for automatically switching and distributing the video information searched by the video reproduction device. A video distribution device that distributes a competitor's video to a network to which the video playback device is connected,
Video information acquisition means for acquiring video information captured by a plurality of cameras;
Shooting range information acquisition means for acquiring shooting range information of each camera;
Apart from the video information, position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of a competitor,
Video search means for searching for video information on which a competitor selected by the video playback device is shot based on the shooting range information and the position information;
A video distribution device comprising: a video switching means for automatically switching and distributing searched video information. A video playback device that plays video of a competitor distributed to a network by a video distribution device,
Information receiving means for receiving video information shot by a plurality of cameras, shooting range information of each camera and position information of competitors from the video distribution device;
A target selection means for selecting a competitor to be viewed according to a viewer's selection operation;
Video search means for searching for video information in which the selected competitor is shot based on the shooting range information and the position information;
A video playback device comprising: video switching means for automatically switching and playing back searched video information. A video playback device that plays video of a competitor distributed to a network by a video distribution device,
Information receiving means for receiving video information shot by a plurality of cameras, shooting range information of each camera and position information of competitors from the video distribution device;
A target selection means for selecting a competitor to be viewed according to a viewer's selection operation;
Video search means for searching for video information in which the selected competitor is shot based on the shooting range information and the position information;
A video reproduction device comprising: a distribution request unit that requests the video distribution device to distribute the searched video information. A video playback device for playing back a video of a competitor recorded on a recording medium,
Information reading means for reading out video information shot by a plurality of cameras, shooting range information of each camera, and position information of a competitor from the recording medium;
A target selection means for selecting a competitor to be viewed according to a viewer's selection operation;
Video search means for searching for video information in which the selected competitor is shot based on the shooting range information and the position information;
A video playback device comprising: video switching means for automatically switching and playing back searched video information.

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