JP2008294938A - Content recording and reproducing apparatus and thumbnail generating method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To create a more suitable thumbnail in accordance with contents without requiring much time and effort to a user. <P>SOLUTION: When recording or reproducing contents, a thumbnail creating section 3 creates a plurality of thumbnail data items from a highlight scene of the contents. The created thumbnail data and a representative thumbnail for each of contents are stored in a memory 9. A system control section 5 selects one thumbnail data item from among the plurality of thumbnail data items, sets the selected thumbnail data as a representative thumbnail and displays the representative thumbnail as a label on behalf of the contents when displaying a listing of the contents. Furthermore, the representative thumbnail having been set can be permuted with a thumbnail candidate selected by the user. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a content recording / playback apparatus for recording and playing back content such as moving images and a method for creating a thumbnail for identifying the content of the recorded content.

  In recent years, content recording / playback apparatuses that record content data including video information and audio information on a randomly accessible recording medium such as a hard disk or an optical disk have been commercialized. The recording / reproducing apparatus has a function of using thumbnail data (reduced image) corresponding to content data in order to easily identify and search the content data recorded on the recording medium. That is, thumbnail data is created for each content data recorded on the recording medium, the thumbnail data is displayed in a list, and the user selects one of the thumbnail data, so that the content data corresponding to the selected thumbnail data is displayed. It is something to play.

  A general method for creating thumbnail data is to extract still image information using the first video information of content data or video information after a predetermined time has elapsed, and create a reduced image (thumbnail data) from this. Many. In such a thumbnail data creation method, recorded content data may not be sufficiently identified. For example, in the case of a captured moving image, a characteristic thumbnail is not always obtained from an image at the start of shooting. Also, in the case of a television broadcast program, it is likely that all the images are commercial (CM) images at the start of the program, or the same thumbnail is used for periodically broadcast programs.

As a method for solving such a problem, the following technique has been proposed.
In Patent Document 1, a signal section of content data is identified by detecting that a scene of video / audio information in the content data is switched, and video information in a signal section located second from the identified head is extracted. A technique for creating thumbnail data using this is disclosed. According to this, it is stated that thumbnail data can be created from a signal section of the main part different from CM.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for creating a plurality of thumbnails for one moving image data and displaying each thumbnail frame by frame when displaying the thumbnails. Here, in order to create a plurality of thumbnails, the thumbnails are extracted from a frame immediately after the scene change or from a frame at a certain time interval.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for extracting a highlight scene moving image from a captured video, and further extracting a still image (thumbnail) from the highlight scene moving image based on the extraction time interval. Here, it is stated that a highlight still image can be reliably extracted by adjusting the cutout density for extracting a still image to a high density in an important scene.

JP 2004-147204 A JP-A-11-284948 JP 2005-191770 A

  According to the technique of Patent Document 1, it is possible to obtain a thumbnail from video information in a main section while avoiding a CM section, but the obtained thumbnail does not necessarily represent the characteristics of content data.

  According to the technique of Patent Document 2, since a plurality of thumbnails can be created for one content, there is a high possibility that content that clearly represents the characteristics of content data is included. However, since a plurality of created thumbnails are displayed in frame advance, a waiting time is required until an optimal thumbnail is displayed.

  According to the technique of Patent Document 3, it is expected that a more appropriate thumbnail can be created by adjusting the cutout density for thumbnail extraction. However, since adjustment of the cutout density basically involves user operation, there is a concern that it takes a lot of time and effort to create an appropriate thumbnail.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a content recording / playback apparatus and a thumbnail creation method capable of creating a more appropriate thumbnail without requiring a user's trouble.

  The present invention relates to a content recording / reproducing apparatus for recording / reproducing content, a content recording unit for recording / reproducing input content, and thumbnail creation for creating a plurality of thumbnail data from a highlight scene of content at the time of recording / reproduction of the content , A memory for storing representative thumbnails for each created thumbnail data and content, a signal output unit for reading thumbnail data from the memory and displaying it on a display device, and system control for controlling creation, storage and display of thumbnail data The system control unit selects one thumbnail data from the plurality of thumbnail data created by the thumbnail creation unit and sets it as a representative thumbnail, and the signal output unit displays the representative thumbnail when displaying a list of contents. A representative of content To be displayed as Le.

  Then, the system control unit registers a plurality of thumbnail data created by the thumbnail creation unit in the memory as thumbnail candidates, and replaces the representative thumbnail already set in the memory with a thumbnail candidate selected from the plurality of thumbnail candidates. Set.

  The present invention also relates to a thumbnail creation method in a content recording / playback apparatus, wherein a plurality of thumbnail data is created from a highlight scene of content at the time of recording or playback of the content, and 1 is generated from the created plurality of thumbnail data. Selecting one thumbnail data and setting it as a representative thumbnail, and displaying a representative thumbnail as a label representative of the content when the content is displayed in a list.

  According to the present invention, since it is possible to create an appropriate thumbnail according to the content without the user's trouble, the search for the content becomes easier.

  Embodiments of a content recording / playback apparatus and a thumbnail creation method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment, content data includes video information and audio information, and thumbnail data for referring to the content data is an example in which still image information created based on the video information is used. However, the present embodiment can also be applied to the case where the content data is only video information or a set of still image information.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a content recording / playback apparatus according to the present invention. In the content recording / reproducing apparatus 13, for example, a video signal or a television broadcast signal captured from an image sensor is input to the signal input unit 1 and supplied to the system control unit 5 and the highlight detection unit 6. The recording medium input / output unit 7 converts the content data sent from the system control unit 5 into a format that can be recorded in the content recording device (recording unit) 8 and records the data, and the content data recorded in the recording device 8 is recorded. It is reproduced, converted into a displayable format, and output to the system control unit 5. The signal output unit 2 outputs and displays the content data sent from the system control unit 5 on a video display device and an audio reproduction device (not shown). The video display device displays video information included in the content data and still image information of thumbnail data described later.

  The highlight detection unit 6 detects a highlight scene for creating thumbnails for the content data input from the signal input unit 1 or the content data reproduced from the recording device 8. The thumbnail creation unit 3 creates thumbnail data that is a reduced image based on the highlight scene detected by the highlight detection unit 6 and stores the thumbnail data in the memory 9. The memory 9 includes a thumbnail data management table 10 and a content data management table 11 that manage the relationship between thumbnail data and content data, and a thumbnail data storage area 12 that stores thumbnail data. Here, a representative thumbnail is set in the content data management table 11 as will be described later, and the set representative thumbnail can be changed by the user.

  The system control unit 5 controls the operation of each block in the apparatus and data input / output based on an operation input from the user via the user operation unit 4. In the recording device 8 for recording content data, it is preferable to use a randomly accessible recording medium such as an optical disk, a magnetic disk, or a memory card. The recording device 8 may be shared with the memory 9.

Next, the operation of each unit will be described.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a highlight scene detection method in the highlight detection unit 6. The highlight scene analyzes and evaluates changes in the time axis direction of various types of information included in the input signal, and detects a scene that exceeds the preset threshold value as a highlight scene. For example, the signal change rate is analyzed and evaluated for information such as the amplitude and frequency band of the audio signal included in the input content data, and the video frame corresponding to the section where the change rate exceeds the threshold is highlighted scene Detect as. In the figure, the frames F2, F3, F5, and F8 are detected as highlight scenes. The highlight scene can be detected not only by the audio signal but also by the luminance information of the video signal of the content data.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing how thumbnails are stored based on the detected highlight scene. The thumbnail creation unit 3 creates thumbnail data, which is a reduced still image of the corresponding video frame, from the highlight scene information detected by the highlight detection unit 6 and stores it in the thumbnail data storage area 12 of the memory 9. Each thumbnail data stored at this stage is a candidate for selecting a representative thumbnail described later. In the memory 9, by registering the reference relationship between each thumbnail data stored in the thumbnail data storage area 12 and the content data in the thumbnail data management table 10 and the content data management table 11, the corresponding content data can be easily obtained from the thumbnail data. Can be searched. The system control unit 5 can update various information stored in the memory 9. For example, a representative thumbnail can be selected and set from the thumbnail candidates, and can be changed according to a user instruction.

  Next, the thumbnail data management table 10 and the content data management table 11 stored in the memory 9 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents stored in the thumbnail data management table 10. The thumbnail data management table 10 is for managing thumbnail data stored in the thumbnail data storage area 12 and includes a thumbnail ID column 41, a thumbnail attached information column 42, and a content ID column 43.

  In the thumbnail ID column 41, thumbnail IDs (ThumID_1, ThumID_2,...) Are stored as uniquely identifiable identification codes. By specifying the thumbnail ID, the thumbnail attached information and content ID corresponding to the thumbnail ID are stored. Can be specified.

  The thumbnail attached information column 42 stores attached information (ThumInfo_1, ThumInfo_2,...) Necessary for storage and reproduction of thumbnail data such as the format and size of thumbnail data and information on the storage location in the thumbnail data storage area 12. ing.

  In the content ID column 43, content IDs (ContID_1, ContID_2,...) Are stored in order to identify the content data corresponding to each thumbnail data, and the content data management table 11 is searched bidirectionally. It is possible.

  Here, there are usually a plurality of highlight scenes detected by the highlight detector 6 for one content data. That is, a plurality of thumbnail data corresponds to one content data. In FIG. 4, for example, thumbnail data with thumbnail IDs ThumID_1 and ThumID_2 both correspond to content data with a content ID of ContID_1.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents stored in the content data management table 11. The content data management table 11 is for managing the content data stored in the recording device 8, and includes a content ID column 51, a content attached information column 52, a chapter information column 53, a thumbnail ID column 54, and a position information column. 55 is comprised.

  The content ID column 51 stores a content ID (ContID_1, ContID_2,...) As a uniquely identifiable identification code. By specifying the content ID, content ancillary information corresponding to the content ID, corresponding A plurality of thumbnail IDs and position information in the content data of each thumbnail are obtained.

  The content ancillary information column 52 includes ancillary information (ContInfo_1, ContentInfo_1, 52) necessary for storage and reproduction of content data, such as content data title, recorded date, reproduction time, data format, and storage location information in the recording device 8. ContInfo_2, ...) is stored. Further, the attached information stores a representative thumbnail ID (representative thumbnail ID) of thumbnail data belonging to the content data. For example, the representative thumbnail ID for ContID_1 is set to ThumID_1.

  The chapter information column 53 stores chapter information (Chap_C1-1, Chapter_C1-2,...) Indicating the configuration when the content is divided into chapters, and is representative of thumbnail data belonging to the chapter. The thumbnail ID (representative thumbnail ID) is stored. For example, the representative thumbnail ID for Chap_C1-2 is set as ThumID_3.

  In the thumbnail ID column 54, the created thumbnail IDs (ThumID_1, ThumID_2,...) Are described, and are stored in the corresponding content and corresponding chapter columns, respectively.

  The position information column 55 stores position information (Pos_C1_1, Pos_C1_2,...) In the corresponding content for each thumbnail ID. The position information indicates the position information of the highlight scene extracted from the corresponding content by the highlight detection unit 306 (that is, the thumbnail generation position information). By using such position information, the content can be reproduced from the position where the corresponding thumbnail is obtained.

  Here, the representative thumbnail is a label representative of the content or the chapter, and is best identified from other content or chapter. The representative thumbnail is selected and set from a plurality of thumbnails (thumbnail candidates) created by the thumbnail creation unit. The setting of the representative thumbnail can be changed by the user. When displaying thumbnails on the list screen, content is displayed with priority over other thumbnail candidates, thereby facilitating content search.

  Although the above-described thumbnail data management table 10 and content data management table 11 have been described as being stored in the memory 9, they can also be stored in the recording device 8. In that case, the thumbnail data and various management data are temporarily copied from the recording device 8 to the memory 9 to enable the processing.

Next, processing related to creation of thumbnail data and its management data will be described.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a thumbnail data creation process when content is recorded. The following processing flow is controlled by the system control unit 5.

  First, the user gives an instruction to start signal recording from the user operation unit 4 (S101). In response to this, the signal input unit 1 converts the input signal into a signal in a format that can be processed by the system control unit 5, that is, content data, and inputs the content data frame to the highlight detection unit 6 and the system control unit 5. (S102). The highlight detection unit 6 detects a highlight scene from the input frame by the above-described highlight detection method (S103). That is, the signal change rate in the input frame is compared with a preset threshold value (S104).

  If the signal change rate exceeds the threshold (Yes in S104), the thumbnail creation unit 3 creates thumbnail data based on the still image information of the frame and stores it in the thumbnail data storage area 12 (S105). Further, the system control unit 5 creates management data related to the thumbnail data and stores (updates) the data in the thumbnail data management table 10 and the content data management table 11 (S106). If the signal change rate does not exceed the threshold (No in S104), the thumbnail data is not created and the process proceeds to the next process.

  The recording medium input / output unit 7 converts the input frame into an appropriate format and records it in the recording device 8 (S107). It is determined whether or not the input of the corresponding content frame is completed (S108). If the input of the frame has not ended, the process returns to the process S102, the next frame is input, and the thumbnail data creation process is repeated. When the input of the frame is finished, the representative thumbnail ID is set in the content data management table 11 (S109), and the process is finished.

  Here, the creation of the management table in step S106 will be described. First, based on the thumbnail data created in S105, a thumbnail ID is registered in the thumbnail data management table 10, and the thumbnail attached information and the content ID are recorded using the thumbnail ID as a key. Next, in the content data management table 11, the thumbnail ID and position information are registered in the content and chapter fields to which the thumbnail ID belongs.

In step S109, the representative thumbnail is set as a default. In that case, for example, a thumbnail created first in the content or chapter may be set as a representative thumbnail. Alternatively, a thumbnail based on a scene having the largest signal change rate may be set as the representative thumbnail.
As a result of these processes, the tables shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are obtained.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a thumbnail data creation process when content is reproduced. The following processing flow is controlled by the system control unit 5.

  First, the user gives an instruction to start signal reproduction from the user operation unit 4 (S111). In response to this, the recording medium input / output unit 7 inputs the frame of the content reproduced from the recording device 8 to the highlight detection unit 6 and the system control unit 5 (S112). The highlight detection unit 6 detects a highlight scene for the input frame by the above-described highlight detection method (S113). That is, the signal change rate in the input frame is compared with a preset threshold value (S114).

  If the signal change rate exceeds the threshold (Yes in S114), the thumbnail creation unit 3 creates thumbnail data based on the still image information of the frame and stores it in the thumbnail data storage area 12 (S115). Further, the system control unit 5 creates management data related to the thumbnail data, and saves (updates) it in the thumbnail data management table 10 and the content data management table 11 (S116). If the signal change rate does not exceed the threshold (No in S114), the thumbnail data is not created and the process proceeds to the next process.

  The signal output unit 2 converts the reproduced content into a format suitable for display and outputs the converted content to a video display device or an audio reproduction device (S117). It is determined whether the input of the corresponding content frame is completed (S118). If the input of the frame is not completed, the process returns to the process S112, and the input of the next frame and the thumbnail data generation process are repeated. When the input of the frame is finished, the representative thumbnail ID is set in the content data management table 11 (S119), and the process is finished. As a result of these processes, the tables shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are obtained even during content reproduction.

  Next, setting and changing of a representative thumbnail used for content search in the content recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 8 is an example of a display screen on which a list of recorded contents is displayed and a representative thumbnail is set.
FIG. 8A shows a recorded content list screen 21, which is a screen when a list of recorded contents stored in the recording device 8 is displayed. Here, three recorded contents (# 1, # 2, # 3) are shown, and the respective representative thumbnails 22 are pasted and displayed as identification labels on the contents. For the representative thumbnail 22, the system control unit 5 refers to the thumbnail data management table 10 and the content data management table 11, and reads the representative thumbnail for the corresponding content from the thumbnail data storage area 12 and displays it on the screen. The mode selection button 23 is used to select processing for each designated representative thumbnail 22 (or each corresponding recorded content). If “reproduction mode” is selected, the recorded content corresponding to the designated representative thumbnail 22 is reproduced. If “Chapter Mode” is selected, the screen transitions to a chapter list screen included in the recorded content. If the “thumbnail mode” is selected, the screen shifts to the thumbnail candidate list screen 25 in FIG. The button 24 is for returning to the previous screen.

  FIG. 8B shows a thumbnail candidate list screen 25, which is a display example when the content (# 1) is designated and the “thumbnail mode” is selected. The thumbnail candidates 26 are all thumbnails (thumbnail candidates) created for the content (# 1) by referring to the thumbnail data management table 10 and the content data management table 11 with respect to the thumbnail data storage area 12. Is read out and displayed on the screen. Here, three thumbnail candidates (T1, T2, T3) are displayed.

  The mode selection button 27 is used to select a process for the designated thumbnail candidate 26. If “reproduction mode” is selected, the content (# 1) is reproduced from the position of the designated thumbnail candidate 26. When “selection mode” is selected, the designated thumbnail candidate 26 is replaced with a new representative thumbnail of the content (# 1). Further, the remaining thumbnail candidates 26 that have not been specified can be deleted. The button 28 is for returning to the previous screen. In this way, the user can set a new representative thumbnail for the recorded content to express the characteristics of the content well and facilitate the search.

Next, processing related to chapters included in content will be described. In the case of chapters, the processing is basically the same as that in the above content.
FIG. 9 is an example of a display screen for displaying a list of chapters and setting representative thumbnails for the chapters. (A) shows the recorded content list screen 21, which is the same as FIG. 8 (a). It is assumed that the user selects content (# 1) and “chapter mode” on this screen.

  FIG. 9B shows a chapter list screen 31 in the content (# 1). Here, two chapters (# 1, # 2) are shown, and the respective representative thumbnails 32 are pasted and displayed as identification labels on the chapters. For the representative thumbnail 32, the system control unit 5 refers to the thumbnail data management table 10 and the content data management table 11, and reads the representative thumbnail for the corresponding chapter from the thumbnail data storage area 12 and displays it on the screen. The mode selection button 33 is used to select a process for each designated representative thumbnail 32 (or each corresponding chapter). If the “reproduction mode” is selected, the chapter corresponding to the designated representative thumbnail 32 is reproduced. If the “thumbnail mode” is selected, the screen shifts to the thumbnail candidate list screen 35 in (c).

  FIG. 9C shows a thumbnail candidate list screen 35, which is a display example when a chapter (# 1) is designated and “thumbnail mode” is selected. As for the thumbnail candidates 36, all thumbnails (thumbnail candidates) created by the system control unit 5 for the chapter (# 1) with reference to the thumbnail data management table 10 and the content data management table 11 are stored in the thumbnail data storage area 12. Is read out and displayed on the screen. Here, two thumbnail candidates (T1, T2) are displayed.

  The mode selection button 37 is used to select a process for the designated thumbnail candidate 36. When “selection mode” is selected, the designated thumbnail candidate 36 is replaced with a new representative thumbnail of the chapter (# 1). Then, the remaining thumbnail candidates 36 that are not designated can be deleted. If “playback mode” is selected, the chapter (# 1) is played from the position of the designated thumbnail candidate 36. In this way, the user can set a new representative thumbnail for the recorded chapter, thereby making the feature of the chapter well expressed and easy to search.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are flowcharts showing a series of processes for setting a representative thumbnail on the display screens of FIGS.
First, in FIG. 10, the system control unit 5 reads the thumbnail ID of the representative thumbnail from the content attached information column 52 of the content data management table 11 and reads the representative thumbnail data corresponding to the thumbnail ID from the thumbnail data storage area 12. The read representative thumbnail 22 is displayed on the recorded content list screen 21 (S201).

  The user operates the user operation unit 4 to select desired content, for example, content (# 1) as shown in FIG. 8, from the representative thumbnail 22 (S202). The mode selection button 23 is used to select “reproduction mode”, “thumbnail mode”, or “chapter mode”. The system control unit 5 determines the selected mode (S203). Note that the mode may be selected by default or manually before step S201.

  When the mode determination is “reproduction mode”, the content (# 1) selected in the process S202 is reproduced from the beginning (S204).

  When the mode determination is “thumbnail mode”, the system control unit 5 refers to the thumbnail data management table 10 and the content data management table 11 and extracts thumbnail candidates for the content (# 1) from the thumbnail data storage area 12. Then, the extracted thumbnail candidates 26 are displayed as in the thumbnail candidate list screen 25 of FIG. 8B (S205).

  When the mode determination is “chapter mode”, the system control unit 5 reads the thumbnail ID of the representative thumbnail for the chapter included in the content (# 1) from the chapter information column 53 of the content management data table 11, and stores the thumbnail data storage area. 12 to read representative thumbnail data corresponding to the thumbnail ID. The read representative thumbnail 32 is displayed on the chapter list screen 31 (S206).

  The user operation unit 4 is operated to select a desired chapter from the representative thumbnail 32, for example, chapter (# 1) as shown in FIG. 9 (S207). The mode selection button 33 is used to select “playback mode” and “thumbnail mode”. The system control unit 5 determines the selected mode (S208).

  When the mode determination is the playback mode, the content (# 1) selected from the position of the chapter (# 1) selected in the process S207 is played back (S209).

  When the mode determination is “thumbnail mode”, the system control unit 5 refers to the thumbnail data management table 10 and the content data management table 11 and extracts thumbnail candidates for the chapter (# 1) from the thumbnail data storage area 12. Then, the extracted thumbnail candidates 36 are displayed as in the thumbnail candidate list screen 35 of FIG. 9C (S210).

  Next, FIG. 11 shows processing after the thumbnail candidate list screen is displayed in the processing S205 or S210. Here, a case where thumbnail candidates for content (# 1) are displayed in S205 as shown in FIG. 8B will be described as an example.

  When three thumbnail candidates (T1, T2, T3) are displayed on the thumbnail candidate list screen 25, the user operates the user operation unit 4 to select, for example, a thumbnail candidate (T2) (S211). The mode selection button 27 is used to select “reproduction mode” or “selection mode”. The system control unit 5 determines the mode (S212).

  When the mode determination is “reproduction mode”, the content (# 1) is reproduced from the position of the selected thumbnail candidate (T2). The position of the thumbnail candidate (T2) is known from the position information 55 of the content data management table 11 (S213).

  When the mode determination is “selection mode”, the system control unit 5 updates the thumbnail data management table 10 and the content data management table 11 and sets the selected thumbnail candidate (T2) as the representative thumbnail of the content (# 1). sign up. Specifically, the representative thumbnail ID for the content (# 1) in the content ancillary information 52 of the content data management table 11 is rewritten to the selected thumbnail ID (T2 = ThumID_2) (S214).

  The system control unit 5 displays a confirmation screen as to whether or not to delete the remaining thumbnail candidates (T1 and T3 in this case) not registered in S114 (S215).

  When the user instructs deletion (Yes in S215), the system control unit 5 refers to the representative thumbnail ID registered in the content ancillary information of the content data management table 11 and registers the representative thumbnail ID (T2). The thumbnail IDs (T1, T3) for content (# 1) other than ()) are to be deleted. The storage location in the thumbnail data storage area 12 is specified by referring to the thumbnail attached information 42 in the thumbnail data management table 10 using the thumbnail ID to be deleted as a key, and the thumbnail data stored there is deleted. Subsequently, each data of the deletion target thumbnail ID registered in the thumbnail data management table 10 is deleted, and further, the deletion target thumbnail ID and position information registered in the content data management table 11 are deleted (S216). . The erasing operation is performed one by one for each thumbnail to be erased, and is repeated until there are no more erase targets.

  When the user does not instruct the deletion of thumbnail candidates (No in S215), all the processes are ended. Then, the newly registered representative thumbnail (T2) is pasted on the content (# 1), and the recorded content list screen 21 is displayed.

  In the above description, the processing after S211 has been described by taking the processing of thumbnail candidates for the content (# 1) following S205 as an example, but the same applies to the processing of thumbnail candidates for the chapter (# 1) following S210.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user can freely set and change the representative thumbnail for the content or chapter. Therefore, it is possible to represent the contents or the contents of chapters well and to make the thumbnails easy to identify. To change the setting, it is only necessary to select a thumbnail candidate already registered, and unnecessary thumbnail candidates can be deleted. Since the set representative thumbnail is displayed on the list display screen with priority over others, it is convenient for the user when searching.

  In this embodiment, a new representative thumbnail or thumbnail candidate is additionally registered during the reproduction of the content. In these methods, a specific scene is extracted from the playback screen being viewed by the user at the user's discretion and registered as a thumbnail.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a process for registering a new thumbnail during playback.
First, a thumbnail candidate of the target content is selected, reproduction is started from the position of the thumbnail candidate, and is displayed on the display device from the signal output unit 2 (S301).

  The system control unit 5 determines whether or not an instruction to pause playback is received from the user operation unit 4 (S302). When there is no instruction to pause (No in S302), the reproduction process is continued (S303), and the process is continued until a reproduction process end command is received (S304).

  When a pause instruction is issued (Yes in S302), the system control unit 5 pauses the reproduction process and displays a still image at the time of pause from the signal output unit 2 (S305).

  Here, the user instructs whether to create thumbnail data of the pause screen from the user operation unit 4 (S306). When the thumbnail data is not created (No in S306), the reproduction process is resumed from the point of pause, and the process returns to S302 to wait for the next pause instruction (S32).

  When receiving an instruction to create thumbnail data from the user (Yes in S306), the system control unit 5 performs thumbnail data creation processing. The thumbnail data is created by storing the created thumbnail data in the thumbnail data storage area 12 in the same manner as the process S115 of FIG.

  Next, the user instructs the user operation unit 4 where to register the created thumbnail data (registration type) (S308). When instructed to register as a representative thumbnail, the same process as the process S214 of FIG. 11 described above is performed, and the created thumbnail data is registered as a representative thumbnail in the content data management table 11 (S309).

  When instructed to register the created thumbnail data as a thumbnail candidate, the system control unit 5 refers to the thumbnail data stored in the thumbnail data storage area 12, and the thumbnail data management table 10 and the content data management table 11. The additional update is performed (S310).

  As described above, it is possible to register a new representative thumbnail and to add a new thumbnail candidate at the time of content reproduction. The content playback in this case does not limit which part of the content is played back, but it is highly possible that a scene suitable for a thumbnail can be quickly detected by playing back from the registered thumbnail candidate position. . The playback mode includes not only normal playback but also fast forward / rewind processing.

  Furthermore, the registration of a new representative thumbnail to a chapter during chapter playback and the addition of a new thumbnail candidate can also be applied in the same manner as described above.

  According to the present embodiment, since a specific scene is registered as a new thumbnail at the user's discretion, it is possible to create a thumbnail that is more suitable for the individual user than an already registered thumbnail, which is more convenient to use. It will be excellent.

The block diagram which shows one Example of the content recording / reproducing apparatus which concerns on this invention. The figure which shows an example of the highlight scene detection method in the highlight detection part 6. FIG. The figure which shows a mode that a thumbnail is preserve | saved based on a highlight scene. The figure which shows an example of the memory content of the thumbnail data management table. The figure which shows an example of the memory content of the content data management table. The flowchart which shows the creation process of the thumbnail data at the time of content recording. The flowchart which shows the creation processing of the thumbnail data at the time of content reproduction | regeneration. An example of a display screen for setting a list of recorded contents and setting a representative thumbnail. An example of a display screen for displaying a list of chapters and setting representative thumbnails for the chapters. The flowchart which shows the setting process of a representative thumbnail (the first half). The flowchart (second half) which shows the setting process of a representative thumbnail. The flowchart which shows the registration process of the new thumbnail in process of reproduction | regeneration.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Signal input part 2 ... Signal output part 3 ... Thumbnail creation part 4 ... User operation part 5 ... System control part 6 ... Highlight detection part 7 ... Recording medium input / output part 8 ... Recording apparatus 9 ... Memory 10 ... Thumbnail data management Table 11 ... Content data management table 12 ... Thumbnail data storage area 13 ... Content recording / playback device 21 ... Recorded content list screen 22, 32 ... Representative thumbnail 23, 33 ... Mode selection button 25, 35 ... Thumbnail candidate list screen 26, 36 ... Thumbnail candidates 27, 37 ... Mode selection button 31 ... Chapter list screen.

Claims (10)

In a content recording / reproducing apparatus for recording / reproducing content,
A content recording unit for recording and reproducing input content;
A thumbnail creation unit that creates a plurality of thumbnail data from a highlight scene of the content at the time of recording or playback of the content;
A memory for storing a representative thumbnail for each created thumbnail data and content;
A signal output unit for reading thumbnail data from the memory and displaying the thumbnail data on a display device;
A system control unit that controls creation, storage, and display of the thumbnail data,
The system control unit selects one thumbnail data from the plurality of thumbnail data created by the thumbnail creation unit and sets it as the representative thumbnail,
The content recording / playback apparatus, wherein the signal output unit displays the representative thumbnail as a label representing the content when the content is displayed as a list. The content recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1,
The system control unit registers a plurality of thumbnail data created by the thumbnail creation unit in the memory as thumbnail candidates,
A content recording / reproducing apparatus, wherein a representative thumbnail already set in the memory is replaced with a thumbnail candidate selected from the plurality of thumbnail candidates. The content recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1,
The system control unit causes the content recording unit to reproduce the content from the position of the thumbnail data,
The content recording / playback apparatus, wherein the thumbnail creation unit creates new thumbnail data from a scene at a position where playback is paused, and adds the created thumbnail data to the memory. The content recording / playback apparatus according to claim 2,
The content recording / playback apparatus, wherein the system control unit deletes a thumbnail candidate not selected from the thumbnail candidates. The content recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The content is divided into a plurality of chapters, the thumbnail creation unit creates the thumbnail data for each chapter, and the system control unit sets the representative thumbnail for each chapter. Playback device. A method for creating a thumbnail in a content recording / playback apparatus,
Creating a plurality of thumbnail data from a highlight scene of the content at the time of recording or playback of the content;
Selecting one thumbnail data from the plurality of created thumbnail data and setting it as a representative thumbnail;
And a step of displaying the representative thumbnail as a label representative of the content when displaying the content as a list. The thumbnail creation method according to claim 6,
Registering the created plurality of thumbnail data as thumbnail candidates;
And a step of replacing a representative thumbnail that has already been set with a thumbnail candidate selected from the plurality of thumbnail candidates. The thumbnail creation method according to claim 6,
Playing back the content from the position of the thumbnail data;
And a step of creating and adding new thumbnail data from a scene at a position where playback is paused. The thumbnail creation method according to claim 7,
A method for creating a thumbnail, comprising: deleting a thumbnail candidate not selected from the thumbnail candidates. The thumbnail creation method according to any one of claims 6 to 9,
The thumbnail creation method, wherein the content is divided into a plurality of chapters, the thumbnail data is created for each chapter, and the representative thumbnail is set.

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