JP2007096686A - Method and device for reproducing video - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and a device for reproducing video that allows efficient searching of video. <P>SOLUTION: The relationship degree is calculated between a selected video and accumulated other videos for it. Based on the calculated relationship degree, displaying of video is controlled. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a video playback apparatus and video playback method for playing back stored video.

2. Description of the Related Art Video playback devices that store video in a storage device such as a hard disk and play it back are used.
Here, a technique has been disclosed that makes it easy to search for an image by searching for an image having the same accompanying information as the accompanying information of the selected image (see Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-134873

However, in this method, if the accompanying information does not match, the video is not searched, so that efficient search may be difficult.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a video playback apparatus and video playback method that enable efficient video search.

  The video playback apparatus according to the present invention includes a video storage unit that stores a plurality of videos, an image selection unit that selects a video from the plurality of stored videos, and the other video that is stored for the selected video. A relevance calculation unit that calculates each relevance level, and a display control unit that controls display of a video based on the calculated relevance level.

  The video playback method according to the present invention includes a step of selecting a video from a plurality of videos stored in a video storage unit, a step of calculating a degree of relevance of each of the other stored videos with respect to the selected video, Controlling the display of video based on the calculated degree of association.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a video playback apparatus and video playback method that enable efficient video search.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video playback device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the figure, the video playback device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a main memory 102, a storage device 103, an input device 104, a system bus 105, a tuner 111, an encoder 112, and a decoder 113.

The CPU 101 controls the entire video reproduction apparatus 100, and functions as a relevance calculation unit that calculates the relevance of each video and a display control unit that controls the display of the video.
The main memory 102 is composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory and is used as a work area for the CPU 101.

The storage device 103 is, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive (hard disk device, magnetic storage device)), and functions as a video storage unit that reads and writes programs and data and stores a plurality of videos. A plurality of videos Pi and relevance elements Nk (i) for each of the videos Pi are recorded. Details of the relevance element Nk (i) will be described later.
The input device 104 is, for example, a keyboard or a remote controller, and functions as an image selection unit that receives information from a user and selects a video from a plurality of videos.

The tuner 111 receives a broadcast signal, selects a broadcast channel, and outputs it.
The encoder 112 encodes the broadcast signal output from the tuner 111 into compressed encoded data such as MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) 2. Data encoded by the encoder 112 is accumulated in the main memory 102 via the system bus 105 under the control of the CPU 101, and is stored in the storage device 103 in units of blocks.
The decoder 113 decodes the compressed encoded data read from the storage device 103 into data in a format that can be displayed on the monitor 120.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation procedure of the video reproduction apparatus 100.
(1) Image selection (step S11)
An image is selected from a plurality of videos stored in the storage device 103.
This selection is based on input from the input device 104. For example, the video P1 is selected from the videos P1 to Pn stored in the storage device 103.

(2) Calculation of video relevance R (i, j) (step S12)
The degree of association R (i, j) of each of the other videos Pj with respect to the selected video Pi is calculated. For example, the degrees of association R (1, 2) to R (1, n) of the other videos P2 to Pn with respect to the video P1 are calculated.
The degree of association R (i, j) is an index representing the degree of association of the comparison target image Pj with the reference image i. The magnitude of the relationship between the videos can be determined based on the magnitude of the degree of association R (i, j).
This degree of association R (i, j) can be calculated from the association element Nk (i, j).

  The relevance element Nk (i, j) is an element representing the relevance between the videos Pi and Pj, and is based on the contents (broadcast time, characters, places, categories, broadcast channels) of the videos Pi and Pj. For example, the relevance elements N1 (i, j) to N5 (i, j) can be determined as follows.

Relevance element N1 (i, j): An element of relevance based on broadcast time. If the overlap of the broadcast time is large, the relevance element N1 (i, j) increases and approaches 1; if there is no overlap of the broadcast time, the relevance element N1 (i, j) becomes 0.
Relevance element N2 (i, j): An element of relevance based on the characters of the program. If the overlap of characters (actors, moderators, etc.) is large, the relevance element N2 (i, j) increases to approach 1, and if there is no overlap of characters, the relevance element N2 (i, j) is 0. Become.

Relevance element N3 (i, j): A relevance element based on the location of the program. The relevance element N3 (i, j) increases and approaches 1 if the place is close, and the relevance element N3 (i, j) approaches 0 if the place is far away.
Relevance element N4 (i, j): This is an element of relevance based on a program category (for example, news, drama, music, variety). If the categories match, the relationship element N4 (i, j) becomes 1, and if the categories do not match, the relationship element N4 (i, j) becomes 0.
Relevance element N5 (i, j): A relevance element based on the broadcast channel of the program. If the broadcast channels match, the relevance element N5 (i, j) becomes 1, and if the broadcast channels do not match, the relevance element N5 (i, j) becomes 0.

  In the above example, the maximum value (number of elements) of k of the relevance element Nk (i, j) is 5. However, the number k of relevance elements Nk (i, j) need not be limited to five. For example, the relevance element Nk (i, j) can be determined based on the average color of the displayed video. It is possible to determine the relevance element Nk (i, j) as necessary.

  Information on the relevance element Nk (i, j) can be obtained by various means. For example, EPG (Electronic Program Guide) information included in the broadcast signal can be used. Further, the user may input the relevance element Nk (i, j) by the input device 104.

The degree of association R (i, j) can be calculated from the association element Nk (i, j) using, for example, the following equation (1).
R (i, j) = Σ _{k = 1} ^{k = M} (Nk (i, j)) / M (1)
Here, M is the number of elements of the relevance element Nk (i, j).
However, the method of calculating the degree of association R (i, j) from the association element Nk (i, j) is not limited to this equation (1). The calculation method of the relevance element Nk (i, j) and the relevance degree R (i, j) from now on can be appropriately defined as necessary.

(3) Video group selection based on relevance R (i, j) (step S13)
Based on the calculated degree of association R (i, j), the video related to the selected video Pi is selected from the stored videos P1 to Pn. For example, videos Pf to Pg are selected from the stored videos P1 to Pn.
Specifically, an image having a relevance level R (i, j) of a predetermined reference value or higher is selected. A predetermined number of videos may be selected in descending order of relevance. It is also possible to select a video based on both the reference value of the degree of association R (i, j) and the number of videos. Specifically, the video whose relevance R (i, j) is equal to or higher than a reference value is selected within a range that does not exceed a predetermined number.

(4) Display of video group based on relevance R (step S14)
A video group selected based on the relevance level R is displayed.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a video group displayed on the monitor 120.
In FIG. 3, the selected video groups P002 to P007 are displayed around the video P001 selected in step S11. The videos P001 to P007 can be reproduced as moving images. The video groups P002 to P007 are displayed in a slightly smaller size than the video P001.

Thereafter, returning to step S11, the image can be selected again and displayed again (steps S12 to S14).
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a video group re-displayed on the monitor 120.
Here, it is assumed that the user (user) of the video reproduction apparatus 100 has selected the video P002 as the video related to the previously selected video P001. Video groups P001, P008 to P011 related to the video P002 are selected from the stored video.
As described above, when the user of the video reproduction apparatus 100 selects a video in step S11, steps S12 to S14 are executed, and interactive video selection by the user becomes possible.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of step S14 in FIG.
(1) Classification of selected video based on relevance R (i, j) (step S21)
The selected video group is further classified based on the degree of association R (i, j). This is because the display state of the video (video layout, display area size, display transparency, etc.) is changed in accordance with the degree of association R (i, j). For example, the selected video group is classified into relevance categories SR1 to SR3.
Specifically, the video can be classified as follows.
1) For example, images can be classified based on the same or non-identical value of the degree of relevance R. There is a possibility that related videos having the same degree of association R are included. In this case, the number of sections corresponds to the number of values of relevance R.
2) Further, the maximum value and the minimum value of the degree of association R (i, j) may be divided into a plurality of equally spaced areas. In this case, the number of sections may be determined in advance.

  As described above, the selected video Pj is divided, and one relevance level SRk is associated with each video Pj. In addition, the number of association degree categories SRk is also defined.

(2) Classification of selected video based on relevance element Nk (i, j) (step S22)
The selected video group is further classified based on the relevance element Nk (i, j). This is because the video display state (video layout or the like) is changed corresponding to the relevance element Nk (i, j). For example, the selected video group is classified into relevance element categories SN1 to SN4.

  Specifically, the video can be classified based on the maximum relevance element Nk (i, j) in the video. For example, if the relevance element N1 (i, j) is the largest among the relevance elements N1 (i, j) to N5 (i, j) of the video Pj, the video Pj is classified into the relevance element category SN1. . If the relevance element N2 (i, j) is the largest among the relevance elements N1 (i, j) to N5 (i, j) of the video Pj, the video Pj is classified into the relevance element category SN2. .

  Here, in order to cope with the case where there are a plurality of maximum relevance elements Nk (i, j), it is conceivable to determine the priority order of the relevance elements Nk (i, j). That is, when there are a plurality of maximum relevance elements Nk (i, j) of the video Pj, the relevance element category SN of the video Pj is determined according to a predetermined priority. For example, in the case where the relevance elements N1 (i, j) and N2 (i, j) are both 1 in the video Pj, the relevance element corresponding to the relevance element N1 (i, j) is based on the priority order. The video Pj is classified into the segment SN1.

  Here, there may be a relevance element Nk (i, j) that is not used as the relevance element category SN (which is not the maximum in any video). For this reason, it is conceivable to extract a relevance element Nk (i, j) that does not become the maximum in any video, and to reset the relevance element classification SNk by excluding it. As a result, the number of relevance element segments SN changes depending on the selected (reference) video Pj. This is clearly shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 below.

  As described above, the selected video Pj is classified, and one relevance element category SNk is associated with each video Pj. The number of relevance element categories SNk is also defined.

(3) Selection of video from the selected video group and determination of display state (steps S23 to S24)
An image is selected from the selected images and its display state is determined.
The display state is determined based on the relevance level SR and the relevance element SN of the image.

Based on the relevance level SR, for example, the display size B of the video is determined as follows.
B = k / N * constant ...... Formula (2)
Here, k is the number of relevance level SRk, and N is the total number of relevance level SR.

Based on the relevance element classification SNk, for example, the display position (angle) θ of the video is determined as follows.
θ = k / (360 ° * M) (3)
Here, k is the number of the relevance element section SNk, and M is the total number of relevance element sections SNk.
As a result, the related video Pj having a large relevance level R (i, j) with respect to the selected video Pi is displayed large. In addition, related images Pj related to the same type of related elements Nk (i, j) are displayed at the same angle (displayed on the same line (axis)).

(4) Video display (steps S25 to S26)
An image is displayed based on the determination in step S24. Then, steps S21 to S23 are repeated until all the selected videos are displayed. As a result, the selected video group is displayed on the monitor 120 as shown in FIG. Further, by reselecting the reference video, the video group is re-sorted and displayed on the monitor 120 as shown in FIG.

Here, in FIG. 4, the video P001 selected before the video P002 is arranged based on the positional relationship between the video P001 and the video P002 when the video 001 is selected and displayed (FIG. 3). ing.
The correspondence between the display positions of the previous selected image and the subsequent selected image can be maintained by the following processing.
1) Information for specifying the display angle θj of each selected image Pj and the previous selected image Pi is stored.
2) In step S24 in FIG. 5, an angle obtained by adding 180 ° to the angle θj for the newly selected image Pj is set as the display angle θ0 of the previous selected image. That is, a correction term is added to the equation (3) so that the relevance element segment SN to which the previous selected image Pi belongs corresponds to the display angle θ.
θ = k / (360 ° * M) + α (4)
Here, α = θ0−θj, θj is the display angle (= j / (360 ° * M)) of the selected video Pj after correction.

Hereinafter, advantages of the present embodiment will be described.
In a video playback device, when a user of the device searches a large amount of video stored, the user generally classifies the video playback device explicitly by dividing it into folders.
However, in order to easily find the target video, it is necessary to allocate the video to each of the folders that are finely and appropriately created. With this method, the burden on the user increases dramatically as the video is accumulated.
In the present embodiment, the user of the apparatus does not need to perform explicit folder division, and the target video can be found more easily.

(Second Embodiment)
The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
A video reproduction apparatus 100a according to the present embodiment is represented in FIG. 1 as in the first embodiment. The operation procedure of the video reproduction apparatus 100a is also shown in FIGS.
In the present embodiment, the axis AXi corresponding to the relevance element category SNi is displayed. That is, the axis AXi of the angle θ shown in the expressions (3) and (4) is displayed. The relationship between the images can be shown more clearly by the axis AXi.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 and showing an example of a video group displayed on the monitor 120.
In FIG. 6, a video P101 is selected, and videos P102 to P107 related to the video P101 are selected from the stored videos. Here, the video P102 and the video P105 belong to the same relevance element category. The same applies to the video P103 and the video P106, and the video P104 and the video P107.
An axis AX101 is displayed, and a video P102 and a video P105 are arranged thereon. The user of the apparatus can easily understand that the image P102 and the image P105 are selected based on the same criterion.
Video P103 and video P106 are arranged on the axis AX102, and video P104 and video P107 are arranged on the axis AX103.
Here, the axes AX101 to AX103 correspond to the relevance elements N1 (i, j) to N3 (i, j), respectively.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a video group re-displayed on the monitor 120, corresponding to FIG.
In FIG. 7, a video P102 which is a video related to the video P101 is selected, and videos P101 and P108 to P110 related to the video P101 are selected from the stored video. The selected image P102 is displayed in the center, and the image P101 and the images P108 to P110 are arranged around it.

Here, the video P101 and the video P108, and the video P109 and the video P110 are selected based on the same relevance criteria, and are arranged and displayed on the axis AX101 and the axis AX104, respectively. These axes AX101 and AX104 correspond to the relevance elements N1 (i, j) and N4 (i, j), respectively.
As can be seen from this example, the number of axes AX can be dynamically changed according to the number of relevance element segments SNk based on the video Pj related to the selected video Pi.

  Compared with the first embodiment, the present embodiment makes it possible to more clearly determine how the images are related to each other, and makes it easier for the user of the apparatus to find the target image.

(Third embodiment)
The third embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
A video reproduction apparatus 100b according to the present embodiment is represented in FIG. 1 as in the first embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation procedure of the video reproduction apparatus 100b.
This figure is substantially the same as FIG. 2, but a plurality of videos are displayed in step S31, and videos are selected from the displayed videos.

FIG. 9 shows an image displayed on the monitor 120 in step S31. It is assumed that a plurality of videos are displayed in a matrix, for example, video P201 is selected.
Based on the selected video, the relevance R (i, j) of the video is calculated for the plurality of displayed videos (step S32). A video group related to the selected video is selected (step S33), and its display is changed (step S34).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing details of step S14 in the present embodiment.
In FIG. 10, there is no step corresponding to step S22 of FIG. Further, the display of the video is changed instead of the display of the video in step S25.
The transparency (contrast level) can be used as the display state of the video in step S44. For example, it is possible to lower the transparency (increase the contrast) for those having a high degree of association, and increase the transparency (to reduce the contrast) for those having a low degree of association.
As a result, the display state is changed so as to display the image clearly or vaguely according to the degree of association of the image (step S45).

  FIG. 11 shows an image displayed on the monitor 120 in step S45. The images P211 to P214, P221 to P223, and P231 to 234 selected based on the selected image P201 and the unselected images are displayed in a matrix. Here, the videos other than the selected video P201 are classified into five videos: videos P211 to P214, P221 to P223, and P231 to 234, and other videos that are not selected. Corresponding to these sections, the respective images are displayed with transparency C21 to C24 that are gradually larger than the transparency C20 of the selected image P201.

  In the first and second embodiments of the present invention, only the video related to the currently selected video is displayed. On the other hand, in this embodiment, a video image with a low degree of association is displayed at the same time, so that a wider choice can be given to the user of the apparatus.

(Other embodiments)
Embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be expanded and modified. The expanded and modified embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video reproduction device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of an operation procedure of the video reproduction device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a video group displayed on a monitor of the video playback device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a video group redisplayed on a monitor of the video playback device according to the first embodiment. It is a flowchart showing the detail of step S14 of FIG. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of the video group displayed on the monitor of the video reproduction device according to the second embodiment. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of the video group re-displayed on the monitor of the video reproduction device according to the second embodiment. It is a flowchart showing the outline of the operation | movement procedure of the video reproduction apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart showing the detail of step S34 of FIG. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of the video group displayed on the monitor of the video reproduction apparatus concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of the video group displayed on the monitor of the video reproduction apparatus concerning 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Video reproduction apparatus, 101 ... CPU, 102 ... Main memory, 103 ... Memory | storage device, 104 ... Input device, 105 ... System bus, 111 ... Tuner, 112 ... Encoder, 113 ... Decoder, 120 ... Monitor

Claims (6)

A video storage unit for storing a plurality of videos;
An image selection unit for selecting a video from the plurality of stored videos;
A relevance calculation unit for calculating relevance of each of the other stored videos with respect to the selected video;
A display control unit for controlling display of video based on the calculated relevance;
A video reproducing apparatus comprising: The video playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit controls a display size or transparency of the video based on the calculated degree of association. The video reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the relevance calculation unit calculates the relevance of the video based on an index element corresponding to the content of the video. The index element is based on at least one of a video broadcast time, a character in the video, a video location, a video category, and a video broadcast channel.
The video reproduction apparatus according to claim 3. The video playback apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display control unit controls video layout based on the index element. Selecting a video from a plurality of videos stored in the video storage unit;
Calculating the relevance of each of the other stored videos to the selected video;
Controlling display of video based on the calculated relevance;
A video playback method comprising:

Images