JP2007201815A - Display device, reproducing device, method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display device which displays a plurality of thumbnail images at a mode suitable for scene retrieval of a program comprised of a plurality of content units. <P>SOLUTION: The display device has: a thumbnail creation and classification part 203 which classifies the plurality of thumbnail images corresponding to a plurality of scenes included in a video program comprised of the plurality of content units into the plurality of content units; a header extraction part 204 which extracts a plurality of header images representing each content unit from the video program; a program organization generation part 205 which generates a program organization image for expressing each thumbnail image by subordinating it to the header images representing the classified content units and a display I/F part 206 which displays the generated program organization image on an outside monitor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device for displaying a plurality of thumbnail images corresponding to a plurality of scenes included in a recorded video program, a playback device including such a display device, a method, and a program.

  Currently, a DVD-HDD recorder is a typical example of a recording / playback apparatus widely used in homes. Some DVD-HDD recorders have a function of displaying a plurality of thumbnail images corresponding to a plurality of scenes included in a recorded video program. This thumbnail image is referred to by the user in order to search for a desired scene, for example.

  Such a DVD-HDD recorder reproduces and displays a scene according to the selection when one corresponding to the scene to be viewed is selected by the user from among the displayed thumbnail images. In this way, the user can quickly view a desired scene.

An example of a scene search technique using thumbnail images is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
JP-A-11-289517

  However, according to the conventional technique, in the scene search of a video program composed of a plurality of content units, the user can determine which content unit each scene is just by looking at a plurality of thumbnail images. There is a problem that it is difficult. Here, news programs, news programs, and information programs are typical examples of such programs, and news items and feature corners are examples of the content units.

  Due to this problem, for example, when a user selects and views a scene included in a desired special feature corner from a plurality of thumbnail images displayed for a news program, the user intends to see the next special feature corner. As a result, there is an inconvenience that a thumbnail image included in the special feature corner that is being viewed is erroneously selected.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a display device that displays thumbnail images in a mode suitable for scene search of a program composed of a plurality of content units, and a reproduction including such a display device An object is to provide an apparatus, a method, and a program.

  In order to solve the above problems, a display device of the present invention is a display device that displays a plurality of thumbnail images corresponding to a plurality of scenes included in a video program composed of a plurality of content units, wherein the plurality of thumbnails are displayed. Thumbnail classification means for classifying images into the plurality of content units, headline extraction means for extracting a plurality of heading images representing the respective content units from the video program, and displaying the plurality of extracted heading images And a program structure display means for displaying each of the thumbnail images subordinate to a heading image representing the classified content unit.

  The video program may include a plurality of videos representing the outline of each content unit, and the headline extraction unit may extract the plurality of videos from the video program as the plurality of headline images. In addition, the plurality of videos include a plurality of character strings representing an outline of the respective content units, and the headline extraction unit extracts the plurality of character strings from the plurality of extracted videos. It may be extracted as a header image.

  The program configuration display means may display only a thumbnail image corresponding to a scene including a character string, and extracts the character string from the scene and uses the extracted character string as the thumbnail. You may display instead of an image.

  In addition, the present invention can be realized not only as such a display device, but also as a playback device including such a display device, and as a display method or program.

  The display device of the present invention classifies a plurality of thumbnail images corresponding to a plurality of scenes included in a video program composed of a plurality of content units into the plurality of content units and represents the classified content units. Since the display is made dependent on the header image, the user can accurately search for a scene included in a desired content unit.

  Further, if a scene including a character string is displayed as a headline image or a thumbnail image, the user can clearly grasp the content unit and the meaning of the scene from the character string, so that the accuracy of the search is improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a DVD-HDD recorder according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  The DVD-HDD recorder 201 is a recorder that records and reproduces a video program, and has a function of displaying a plurality of thumbnail images corresponding to a plurality of scenes included in the video program.

  The DVD-HDD recorder 201 includes a recorded program storage unit 202, a thumbnail creation and classification unit 203, a headline extraction unit 204, a program configuration generation unit 205, a display I / F 206, a remote control I / F 207, and a program playback unit 208. The

  The recorded program storage unit 202 stores the recorded video program. It is assumed that the recorded video program is composed of a plurality of content units.

  The thumbnail creation and classification unit 203 refers to the video program stored in the recorded program storage unit 202, generates a plurality of thumbnail images corresponding to a plurality of scenes included in the video program, and generates the generated plurality of thumbnail images. Are classified into a plurality of content units constituting the video program.

  The headline extraction unit 204 extracts a plurality of headline images representing each content unit from the video program.

  The program configuration generation unit 205 generates a program configuration image representing the plurality of classified thumbnail images as subordinate to the heading image representing the classified content unit, and displays the generated program configuration image as a display I / F 206. To display on an external monitor screen. The program configuration generation unit 205 and the display I / F 206 are an example of the program configuration display means described in the claims.

  The remote control I / F 207 receives information representing a remote control operation performed by the user. Specifically, this information is selection information representing one selected by the user from a plurality of thumbnail images displayed on the monitor screen.

  The program reproduction unit 208 reproduces a scene corresponding to the thumbnail image indicated by the selection information, and displays the reproduced scene on an external monitor screen via the display I / F 206.

  Note that the content units constituting a video program are generally referred to as corners, chapters, items, and the like. The case where a content unit is referred to by such a name is also included in the present invention.

  In the following, as a typical example, thumbnail images of a plurality of scenes included in a news program are classified into a plurality of special feature corners constituting the news program, and subordinate to a plurality of headline images representing the classified special feature corners. A case where the image is displayed will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a program configuration image displayed in the first embodiment.
The monitor screen 101 is divided into a program structure display portion 103 and a program playback portion 102.
The program composition display portion 103 displays a program composition image representing the thumbnail image 105 corresponding to the scene included in the special feature corner, depending on the headline image 104 of each special feature corner. In the program playback portion 102, a scene corresponding to the selected thumbnail image is played back and displayed.

  The thumbnail creation and classification unit 203 generates a plurality of thumbnail images by reducing each of a plurality of frames included in the video program at regular intervals (for example, every 30 seconds). Then, a plurality of portions divided by commercials of the video program are determined as content units, and the plurality of generated thumbnail images are classified into the content units.

  Note that the method of determining the content unit is not limited to commercial delimitation. Alternatively, for example, a plurality of portions delimited by a scene in which a newscaster appears may be defined as the content unit.

  The headline extraction unit 204 is provided at a known location such as the beginning of a news program, immediately after the first commercial, or a scene in which a newscaster appears, and extracts a plurality of images each representing an outline of a plurality of feature corners. . Then, the extracted plurality of images are associated with the determined plurality of content units, for example, according to the order of time arrangement, and each extracted image is used as a heading image representing the associated content unit. Determine.

  In addition to this, a content unit including a scene similar to each extracted image is specified by comparing the extracted image with a scene included in the content unit, and the extracted image is determined as the image. May be defined as a headline image representing the content unit specified for.

  The program configuration generation unit 205 generates a program configuration image that represents the plurality of classified thumbnail images as subordinate to the heading image representing each classified content unit. As a specific example, such a program structure image is represented by indenting a thumbnail image with respect to the heading image and connecting them with a broken line as shown in the program structure display portion 103 of FIG. .

  Of course, the program composition image representing the thumbnail image as subordinate to the header image is not limited to this example. For example, it is of course possible to express the subordinates by expressing the header image larger and the thumbnail image smaller.

  The program reproduction unit 208 reproduces a scene corresponding to the thumbnail image indicated by the selection information received by the remote control I / F 207, and displays the reproduced scene on the program reproduction portion 102 of the monitor screen 101 via the display I / F 206. To display.

  Here, in order to reproduce the scene corresponding to the selected thumbnail image, for example, when generating each thumbnail image, information for specifying the corresponding scene (for example, the source of reducing the thumbnail image) It is sufficient to store a frame in association with the thumbnail image (time information specifying the hour, minute, second, and frame number) in the video program. If it does so, the frame after the frame specified by the time information can be easily reproduced as the corresponding scene.

  As described above, the DVD-HDD recorder of Embodiment 1 classifies a plurality of thumbnail images corresponding to a plurality of scenes included in a video program composed of a plurality of content units into the plurality of content units. At the same time, since the subtitles are displayed in the subtitles representing the classified content units, the user can accurately select and view the scenes included in the desired content units.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the DVD-HDD recorder according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Hereinafter, description of the same matters as in the first embodiment will be omitted, and different points will be mainly described.

  The DVD-HDD recorder 401 is different from the DVD-HDD recorder 201 (see FIG. 1) described in the first embodiment in that only a thumbnail image corresponding to a scene including a character string is displayed.

  The DVD-HDD recorder 401 is configured by replacing the thumbnail creation / classification unit 203 in the DVD-HDD recorder 201 with a thumbnail creation / classification unit 403 and a telop information processing unit 409. Other components are the same as those of the DVD-HDD recorder 201.

  The thumbnail creation / classification unit 403 outputs the original frame to the telop information processing unit 409 before generating a thumbnail image.

  The telop information processing unit 409 determines whether or not a character string is included in the frame acquired from the thumbnail creation and classification unit 403, for example, by performing image processing on the frame, and the determination result is determined as a thumbnail creation and classification unit. Return to 403.

  The character string includes a telop character string superimposed on the video, a video representing the character string itself, and character data such as caption data displayed on the same screen by being synthesized with the video.

  The thumbnail creation and classification unit 403 generates a thumbnail image by reducing only the frames that have been affirmed by the telop information processing unit 409.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a program configuration image displayed in the second embodiment. Compared to the display example of the first embodiment (see FIG. 2), the difference is that all thumbnail images are reduced images of frames including character strings.

  As described above, the DVD-HDD recorder according to the second embodiment displays a scene including a character string as a headline image or a thumbnail image, so that the user clearly defines the content unit and the meaning of the scene from the character string. You can understand and improve the accuracy of search.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the DVD-HDD recorder according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Hereinafter, description of the same items as those in the second embodiment will be omitted, and different points will be mainly described.

  Compared with the DVD-HDD recorder 401 (see FIG. 3) described in the second embodiment, the DVD-HDD recorder 601 displays only the character strings included in these images instead of the heading images and thumbnail images. It is different in point.

  The DVD-HDD recorder 601 includes a thumbnail creation and classification unit 403, a headline extraction unit 204, and a program configuration generation unit 205 in the DVD-HDD recorder 401, respectively, a scene extraction and classification unit 603, a headline extraction unit 604, and a program configuration generation. It replaces with the part 605, and is comprised by adding the character recognition part 610. FIG. Other components are the same as those of the DVD-HDD recorder 201.

  The scene extraction / classification unit 603 outputs the frame determined by the telop information processing unit 409 to include the character string to the character recognition unit 610.

  The character recognition unit 610 obtains a character code representing a character string included in the frame by recognizing the frame acquired from the scene extraction and classification unit 603 and returns the character code to the scene extraction and classification unit 603.

  In this way, the scene extraction and classification unit 603 obtains the first character code representing the character string included in the frame corresponding to the thumbnail image instead of the thumbnail image.

  The headline extraction unit 604 also uses the character recognition unit 610 to obtain a second character code representing a character string included in the headline image.

  The program structure generation unit 605 replaces the scene information, which is a character string represented by the first character code, and the heading character string, which is a character string represented by the second character code, in place of the thumbnail image and the heading image. The program composition image is generated by using the generated program composition image, and the generated program composition image is displayed on the monitor screen.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a program configuration image displayed in the third embodiment. Compared to the display example of the second embodiment (see FIG. 4), a difference is that a heading character string 504 is displayed instead of the heading image 104, and scene information 505 is displayed instead of the thumbnail image 105.

  As described above, the DVD-HDD recorder of the third embodiment displays the program composition image represented only by the character string instead of the headline image or thumbnail image, so that the user is included in the headline image or thumbnail image. The content unit and the meaning of the scene can be grasped more clearly than when the character string is read, and the accuracy of the search is improved.

  And since such a program composition image is represented only by a character string, compared with the program composition image represented by the headline image or the thumbnail image, a program structure having a high listability is provided in an area of the same size. Can be presented.

  The display device of the present invention, the playback device including such a display device, the method, and the program are used in a playback device that plays back a recorded video program. In particular, a list of thumbnail images is used for searching and specifying a playback scene. This is useful for the HDD, DVD, and DVD-HDD to be used.

The block diagram which shows an example of a functional structure of the DVD-HDD recorder which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention The figure showing an example of the program structure image displayed in Embodiment 1 of this invention The block diagram which shows an example of a functional structure of the DVD-HDD recorder which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. The figure showing an example of the program structure image displayed in Embodiment 2 of this invention The block diagram which shows an example of a functional structure of the DVD-HDD recorder which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. The figure showing an example of the program structure image displayed in Embodiment 3 of this invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Monitor screen 102 Program reproduction part 103 Program structure display part 104 Heading image 105 Thumbnail image 201 DVD-HDD recorder 202 Recorded program storage part 203 Thumbnail creation and classification part 204 Heading extraction part 205 Program structure generation part 206 Display I / F
207 Remote control I / F
208 Program playback unit 401 DVD-HDD recorder 403 Thumbnail creation and classification unit 409 Telop information processing unit 504 Headline character string 505 Scene information 601 DVD-HDD recorder 603 Scene extraction and classification unit 604 Headline extraction unit 605 Program configuration generation unit 610 Character recognition Part

Claims (8)

A display device that displays a plurality of thumbnail images corresponding to a plurality of scenes included in a video program composed of a plurality of content units,
Thumbnail classification means for classifying the plurality of thumbnail images into the plurality of content units;
Headline extracting means for extracting a plurality of headline images representing the respective content units from the video program;
A display device comprising: a program configuration display unit that displays the plurality of extracted headline images and displays each of the thumbnail images subordinate to a headline image representing a classified content unit. . The video program includes a plurality of videos representing an outline of each content unit,
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the headline extracting unit extracts the plurality of videos as the plurality of headline images from the video program. The plurality of videos include a plurality of character strings representing an outline of the respective content units,
The display device according to claim 2, wherein the headline extraction unit extracts the plurality of character strings as the plurality of headline images from the plurality of extracted videos. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the program configuration display means displays only thumbnail images corresponding to a scene including a character string. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the program configuration display unit extracts the character string from the scene and displays the extracted character string instead of the thumbnail image. A video program playback device having a function of displaying a plurality of thumbnail images corresponding to a plurality of scenes included in a recorded video program,
Thumbnail classification means for classifying the plurality of thumbnail images into a plurality of content units constituting the video program;
Headline extracting means for extracting a plurality of headline images representing the respective content units from the video program;
Program structure display means for displaying the plurality of extracted headline images and displaying the respective thumbnail images subordinate to a headline image representing a classified content unit;
A video program playback apparatus comprising: playback means for playing back a scene corresponding to one selected by the user from the plurality of thumbnail images. A display method for displaying a plurality of thumbnail images corresponding to a plurality of scenes included in a recorded video program,
A thumbnail classification step of classifying the plurality of thumbnail images into a plurality of content units constituting the video program;
A headline extraction step of extracting a plurality of headline images representing the respective content units from the video program;
A display method comprising: displaying a plurality of extracted headline images, and displaying each of the thumbnail images subordinate to a headline image representing a classified content unit. . A computer-executable program for displaying a plurality of thumbnail images corresponding to a plurality of scenes included in a recorded video program,
A thumbnail classification step of classifying the plurality of thumbnail images into a plurality of content units constituting the video program;
A headline extraction step of extracting a plurality of headline images representing the respective content units from the video program;
Displaying the plurality of extracted headline images, and causing a computer to execute a program configuration display step of displaying each of the thumbnail images subordinate to a headline image representing a classified content unit. Program to do.

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