JP2009267457A - Recording and reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem, wherein even though a conventional video camera, when it is dividing a scene into a plurality of chapters frequently, sets the head frames of the chapters as thumbnail images for use in identifying the respective chapters, a head frame does not always show the contents of a scene and then it is difficult for the user to find a target chapter from the scene divided into the plurality of chapters, using only the information on the head frames of the chapters. <P>SOLUTION: A recording and reproducing device includes a moving image recording means for recording moving image video information; a chapter setting means for setting a chapter in the moving image video information; a still image recording means for recording the still image video information to be used as a thumbnail image of the chapter; and a means for associating the still image video information with a thumbnail image of the moving image video information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording / reproducing apparatus, for example, a recording / reproducing apparatus that adds information to recorded moving image information and assists a user to easily access desired moving image information.

  As background art in this technical field, for example, there is JP-A-2006-345554 (Patent Document 1). According to the publication, “[Problem] Obtaining a playback apparatus capable of playing back video and audio according to the degree of importance given to the video and audio recorded on the recording medium. In the present invention, the video signal and the audio signal included in the program are divided and recorded in a plurality of segments, and the importance level is given from the characteristics of the audio signal of each segment, and the importance level is associated with the segment. A reproducing apparatus for reproducing video and audio of a recording medium recorded in the recorded metadata, the extracting means for extracting the importance level from the metadata recorded on the recording medium, the importance level and the threshold value Based on the comparison means for comparison, the search means for searching for a segment having an importance level higher than the threshold based on the comparison result in the comparison means, and the search means And reproducing means for reproducing video and audio corresponding to the segment, the importance level is described. "(See abstract) which are weighted on the basis of the volume of the audio signal.

JP 2006-345554 A

  In recent years, recording / reproducing apparatuses that record still images and moving images on an optical disc such as a DVD have been used. In such a recording / reproducing apparatus, it is possible to easily find the recorded moving image information. Of this type of recording / reproducing apparatus, a video camera normally manages moving picture image information in units of scenes, so that it is possible to easily find a scene. Also, by setting a plurality of chapters for one scene, cueing within the same scene can be easily executed.

  When the user confirms the content of the recorded scene, the content of the scene can be quickly grasped by playing back while searching for a head using a chapter. However, if the number of chapters in the scene is large, the number of times of cueing increases, which may burden the user.

  Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-345554 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique for efficiently reproducing moving image information by dividing a scene into a plurality of segments and setting importance for each segment.

  Conventionally, in the chapter thumbnail setting method, the first frame of a chapter is often used as a chapter thumbnail. However, if the first frame is a thumbnail of a chapter, it may be convenient for a user who already knows the contents of the scene to know the chapter head position in the scene. If the memory becomes weak, even if the first frame of the chapter is viewed, the contents of the scene may not be remembered until the chapter is actually reproduced. Therefore, the current situation is that it may be difficult for the user to quickly find the desired moving image information. If an optimal thumbnail is set for the chapter contents, the user can know the contents of the scene without replaying the scene only by looking at the thumbnail list, but such a method has not been proposed.

  In general, when the thumbnail list does not show the contents of the scene, the user reproduces the scene and confirms the contents of the scene. When checking the contents of a long-time scene, it is necessary to have a means to quickly check the contents of the entire scene while searching for the beginning of the chapter. Currently, a method for efficiently searching for the chapter is proposed. Absent.

  In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-345554, importance is provided for each segment, and the apparatus is controlled so as to reproduce only frames having higher importance than the threshold of importance. It is difficult to reflect on the playback content, and it is not suitable for quickly grasping the content of the scene.

  Therefore, for example, in order to solve the above-described problem, a recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention includes a moving image recording unit that records moving image information, a chapter setting unit that sets a chapter in the moving image information, and a thumbnail of the chapter. A still image recording unit for recording still image video information for use as a thumbnail, an association unit for associating the still image video information as a thumbnail of the chapter, and an importance level setting unit for setting an importance level for each chapter.

  According to the present invention, for example, chapters can be set at arbitrary locations in a recorded scene, and a user can easily create thumbnails that best represent the contents of the chapters. As a result, the user can easily infer or recall the contents of the scene from the chapter thumbnail list.

  Also, for example, by setting the importance for each chapter, the user can cue only the important chapter. As a result, the user can quickly reproduce the scene and can grasp the contents of the scene in a short time.

  Problems, means, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by examples described later.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings, taking as an example a video camera provided with a DVD and an SD card as recording media. It is assumed that moving picture information including one or more scenes is recorded on the DVD. The video camera of the embodiment has a moving image mode for recording moving image information and a still image mode for recording still image information. The moving image information image and the thumbnail image are stored on the DVD, Is recorded on the SD card.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram for executing this embodiment. Note that a semiconductor memory or another disk medium may be used instead of the DVD. There are a plurality of DVDs such as DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD + R, and DVD + RW, but the type is not particularly limited. Of course, BD (Blu-ray Disc) or HD (High Definition) -DVD may be used. In addition, the present invention can be applied to other recording media such as CD (Compact Disc) and MD (Mini Disc). In this embodiment, a DVD-RAM is assumed.

  The system control unit 101 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory, and controls the entire system. Also, input information from the user is obtained from the user interface 102, and the input information is processed by the system control unit 101. The light obtained through the lens 103 is converted into an electric signal by a CCD (Charge Coupled Diode) 104. An A / D converter 105 converts an analog electric signal obtained from the CCD 104 into a digital signal and passes the signal to a CODEC (COmpressor / DECompressor) 106. Video information encoded and generated by the CODEC 106 is accumulated in a RAM (Random Access Memory) 107. The drive control unit 108 and the card control unit 110 are units that control access to the DVD 109 and the SD card 111, respectively. The video information stored in the RAM 107 is recorded on the DVD 109 and the SD card 111 through the drive control unit 108 and the card control unit 110. The display unit 112 is a display device for displaying video. Hereinafter, although described as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic EL display or the like may be used. The LED 113 is turned on when the power is turned on, the battery is charged, or the recording medium is accessed, and indicates the operation status of the recording / reproducing apparatus. The EVF 114 is a display device for displaying video. Although not shown, it is assumed that all functions of a general video camera such as a battery drive function are installed.

  The moving image information recorded on the DVD has management information for each scene. Hereinafter, this is referred to as scene management information. The scene management information is used to manage all information related to the scene, including chapter position information. For example, in the scene management information related to the chapter, the position information of the first frame of the chapter, the length of the chapter, the outline of the chapter, and the like are recorded. In order to set a chapter in a scene, it is necessary to record information about the chapter in the scene management information. FIG. 2 shows an example of scene management information related to chapters. 201 indicates the ID of a chapter set in the scene. Reference numeral 202 denotes from which position in the scene the set chapter starts.

  When setting the importance level for each chapter, for example, scene management information as shown in FIG. 3 is used. 301 represents the importance of a chapter. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the smaller the number, the higher the importance of the chapter. Further, when the user does not set the importance level of the chapter, the minimum importance level is set.

  In order to use an arbitrary image as a thumbnail image of a chapter, for example, scene management information as shown in FIG. 4 is used. 401 records the path information of the still image set in the chapter. If 401 is blank, the first frame of the chapter is set as the chapter thumbnail. When the user does not set a chapter thumbnail, the first frame of the chapter is set as a thumbnail.

  When executing chapter thumbnail setting for the recorded scene, a screen as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed. In the area 501, the recorded scene is reproduced, and in the area 502, camera-through display is performed. The user presses the shutter button at a position where a chapter is to be created while watching the video reproduced in the area 501. Then, the video displayed in the area 502 at the moment when the shutter button is pressed is set as the thumbnail of the chapter just created. Note that the user can exchange what is displayed in the area 501 and the area 502 by setting so that the camera through can be displayed in the area 501 and the scene reproduction screen can be displayed in the area 502. If EVF is used, a scene playback screen is displayed on the entire LCD screen, and if the user can confirm camera through with EVF, the area 502 does not need to be prepared, and only the area 501 is required. .

  The chapters in the scene are displayed as a list as shown in FIG. 6 using chapter thumbnails set by the user. A thumbnail of the chapter is displayed in 601, and chapter information included in the scene management information is displayed in 602. The chapter information is, for example, the position information of the first frame of the chapter recorded in the scene management information, the length of the chapter, the outline of the chapter, and the like. The outline of the chapter is, for example, character information input by the user to express the contents of the chapter. The user moves the cursor, selects a chapter to be played back, and executes playback. It is assumed that the chapter list screen for moving image information recorded on a DVD is called using the user interface 102 in FIG. In FIG. 6, a total of 6 thumbnails, 3 vertically and 2 horizontally, are displayed. However, it is of course possible to scale the thumbnails within a range where the user can recognize the thumbnails so that more thumbnails can be displayed in a list. Further, the chapter information may be hidden so that more thumbnails can be displayed as a list.

  A list screen of moving image information recorded by the user is displayed as shown in FIG. Note that the list screen of the moving image information recorded on the DVD is called using the user interface 102 in FIG. In FIG. 7, nine thumbnails 701 in total, three vertically and three horizontally, are displayed. Of course, thumbnails may be scaled within a range in which the user can recognize thumbnails so that more thumbnails can be displayed in a list. .

  A method for setting chapters in the recorded scene will be described below.

  The flow of processing for setting chapters in a scene recorded by the user will be described with reference to FIG. In step S800, it is assumed that a moving image information list screen as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed. In step S801, the user selects a scene to be reproduced from the moving image / video information list screen, and executes reproduction of the scene. If the user performs a button operation for executing chapter creation during scene playback in step S802, the chapter is created in step S803, and the chapter information is recorded in the scene management information as shown in FIG. Note that for the button input in S802, a chapter creation dedicated button may be prepared and used, or an existing button such as a still image shutter button may be used. Finally, the process ends in step S804.

  Hereinafter, a method for setting a thumbnail of an arbitrary image in a set chapter will be described.

  The user performs a menu operation to display a chapter list screen as shown in FIG. At this time, if no thumbnail is set for the chapter, the first frame of each chapter is displayed as the chapter thumbnail. The user selects a chapter for which a thumbnail is to be set, and executes “set thumbnail” from the menu.

  With reference to FIG. 9, a flow of processing in which a user captures a chapter thumbnail image and sets the captured still image as a chapter thumbnail will be described. Step S900 in FIG. 9 is in a state immediately after the user performs a menu operation from the chapter list screen and executes “thumbnail setting”. In step S901, camera through is displayed as a thumbnail shooting screen as shown in FIG. 10, and the user performs thumbnail shooting by pressing the shutter button. After thumbnail shooting, in step S902, a thumbnail setting confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed, and it is confirmed to the user whether a still image shot by the user can be set as a thumbnail. In FIG. 11, a still image taken for the thumbnail by the user is displayed in 1101, and a chapter corresponding to the thumbnail is reproduced in 1102. If the user selects “Yes” on the thumbnail setting confirmation screen in step S903, it is determined in step S904 whether a thumbnail has already been set for the chapter. If not, the thumbnail is determined in step S907. An image is recorded on a DVD, and scene management information is updated. The determination in step S904 is performed using the scene management information in FIG. If 401 is not blank, it is assumed that a thumbnail has already been set for the chapter, and a dialog asking the user whether or not to change the thumbnail is displayed in step S905. Thereafter, if the user selects “Yes” in step S906, the process proceeds to step S907. If the user selects “No” in step S906, the process is terminated in step S908 without changing the thumbnail. If the user selects “No” in step S903, the thumbnail shooting screen is displayed again, and the process waits until the user presses the shutter button. If “cancel” is selected, the process ends in step S908. When the user selects “No” in step S1205, setting the chapter in step S803 allows the user to simply set a thumbnail still image without re-creating the chapter later. Can be. Of course, if the user selects “No” in step S1205, the thumbnail shooting screen may be displayed again instead of step S803 so that the user can reshoot the thumbnail still image. Also, if the user can make settings so that the processing of step S905 and step S906 can be omitted, usability is improved for users who want to set thumbnails quickly. If the user can set the chapter thumbnail, the chapter list screen as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed because an image that better represents the contents of the chapter can be set as a thumbnail, unlike the case where the first frame of the chapter is always a thumbnail. In this case, the contents of the entire scene are easy to understand for the user, and usability is improved.

  A case where chapter creation and chapter thumbnail shooting are performed simultaneously will be described below.

  The flow of processing in which the user performs chapter setting and thumbnail shooting at the same time will be described with reference to FIG. In step S1200, it is assumed that a moving image information list screen as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed. When the user selects “Chapter / Thumbnail Creation” from the menu, the chapter creation mode screen of FIG. 5 is displayed in Step S1201, scene playback is started in the region 501, and camera through is displayed in the region 502. The user depresses the shutter button at the timing at which a chapter is to be set in the area 502 while watching the scene being played back in the area 501, and proceeds from step S1202 to step S1203. In step S1203, a chapter position confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 13 is displayed. In 1301, a moving image is reproduced for several seconds from the frame at the moment when the user presses the button in step S1202, and in 1302, chapter information is displayed. If the chapter position displayed in step S1203 is acceptable, the user selects “Yes” in step S1204, and proceeds to step S902. If the user selects “No”, the process returns to step S1201 to display the chapter creation mode screen again. The processing in step S902 is as described above. In step S1205, the user who is satisfied with the captured thumbnail selects “Yes”, and the process proceeds to step S1206. In step S1206, the chapter position and thumbnail information are recorded in the scene management information, and the process ends in step S1207. If the user selects “No” in step S1205, only the chapter position is recorded in the scene management information in step S803. If the user selects “Cancel” in step S1204 and step S1205, the process proceeds to step S1207 in both cases, and the process ends. By performing the chapter position setting and the chapter thumbnail setting at the same time, a user who is skilled in the operation of the camera can perform the chapter position setting and the chapter thumbnail setting more quickly, thereby improving usability. Note that in step S1201, instead of displaying the chapter creation mode screen by menu operation, if the chapter creation button can be pressed to shift directly from the video image information list screen to the chapter creation mode, the usability is further improved.

  A method for setting a still image prepared in advance in the SD card as a thumbnail of a chapter from the still image information list display screen will be described below.

  FIG. 14 is an example of a setting screen for designating which chapter thumbnail is set as still image video information 1401 recorded on the SD card selected by the user. In a region 1402, a chapter list of scenes selected by the user from the moving image information recorded on the DVD is displayed as thumbnails. The thumbnail displayed at this time is recorded in the scene management information of each scene. In the area 1403, the position information of each chapter is displayed. In the example of FIG. 14, three thumbnails are displayed in the area 1402. However, thumbnails may be scaled within a range that can be recognized by the user so that more thumbnails can be displayed at one time.

  The flow of processing for setting a thumbnail of a chapter in a scene recorded on a DVD from a list display screen of still image video information recorded on an SD card will be described with reference to FIG. Assume that the video camera is activated in the still image mode at the time of step S1500. In step S1501, the still image video information to be used as a thumbnail is selected from the still image video information list screen as shown in FIG. 7 from the still image video information recorded on the SD card. In step S1502, “Thumbnail” is selected from the menu. Select Set to. In step S1503, a screen as shown in FIG. 14 for setting which chapter thumbnail in the scene recorded on the DVD is used is displayed. In step S1504, the user selects which chapter thumbnail to use the still image information selected in step S1501 on the screen displayed as shown in FIG. The processing from step S904 to step S907 is as described above. With this function, chapter thumbnail shooting and chapter creation can be performed on different days, or images processed on a personal computer can be used as thumbnails. Therefore, the user can perform thumbnail shooting collectively after chapter creation is collectively executed, and usability is improved.

  A method for setting a still image prepared in advance in the SD card as a chapter thumbnail from the chapter list screen will be described below.

  FIG. 16 is an example of a setting screen for designating which still image video information is set as the thumbnail of the chapter 1601 selected by the user. In area 1601, the chapter selected by the user is reproduced. In the area 1602, a list of still image information recorded on the SD card is displayed as a thumbnail. In an area 1603, information such as the date and time when each piece of still image information is recorded is displayed. In the example of FIG. 16, three thumbnails 1603 are displayed. However, thumbnails may be scaled within a range that can be recognized by the user so that more thumbnails can be displayed at one time.

  The flow of processing for setting still image video information recorded on an SD card as a thumbnail from the chapter list screen will be described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that a chapter list screen as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed at the time of step S1700. In step S1701, the user selects a chapter for which a thumbnail is to be set from the chapter list screen, and in step S1702, selects “change thumbnail” from the menu. The processing from the next step S904 to step S906 is as described above. In step S1703, a screen (FIG. 16) for setting which still image video information recorded in the SD card is to be used as the thumbnail of the chapter selected in step S1701 is displayed. In step S1704, the user selects a still image to be set as a thumbnail. The processing in step S907 is as described above. With this function, chapter thumbnail shooting and chapter creation can be performed on different days, or images processed on a personal computer can be used as thumbnails. Therefore, the user can perform thumbnail shooting collectively after chapter creation is collectively executed, and usability is improved.

  With the chapter creation method and thumbnail setting method described above, the user can easily set chapter thumbnails regardless of the mode in which the video camera is activated. In addition, since an image that clearly represents the contents of a chapter can be set as a thumbnail, the contents of the scene can be easily understood at a glance and the usability is improved.

  Hereinafter, a process for setting the importance for each chapter and allowing the user to easily cue the target chapter will be described.

  FIG. 18 is an example of an importance level determination screen that is displayed during the process of step S802 and the process of step S803 in FIG. 8, for determining the importance level of the created chapter. In 1801, the created chapter is played back, and in 1802, the importance is displayed to prompt the user to select. In the present embodiment, the chapter importance can be set in five stages. Assume that importance 1 is the most important and importance 5 is the least important. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience, the importance level 1 is called express, the importance level 3 is called express, and the importance level 5 is called slow driving.

  A reproduction method using importance will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 19, there is a scene divided into a total of nine chapters from chapter 001 to chapter 009. The user sets importance 1 to chapters 002 and 005, and sets importance 3 to chapters 004 and 009. It is a conceptual diagram which shows having set importance 5 to the remaining chapters. First, when the user starts playback from the beginning of the scene, chapter 001 with importance 5 is played back. If the user executes “express skip” during chapter 001 playback, chapter 002 starts playback. If “express skip” is executed during chapter 002 playback, chapter 003 is skipped and chapter 004 starts playback. If the user executes “skipping skip” during chapter 004 playback, chapter 005 starts playback. If playback is continued as it is and “restriction skip” is executed again when playback of chapter 007 is started, chapter 008 and chapter 009 are skipped, and playback of the scene ends. In other words, chapters with importance level 1 are always played regardless of which skip method is used for skipping, and others are skipped with the same or lower importance level set for chapters. Played only when the method is executed. This function allows you to check the contents of the scene roughly by using express skip, and when the user approaches the desired video, the user can efficiently check the contents of the scene by using less important skipping etc. Convenient. The importance level may be set using the screen of FIG. 18, or may be automatically set using an importance level setting algorithm.

  In the following, a description will be given of processing for associating an arbitrary sound with the created chapter and reproducing the sound only when the user cues the chapter.

  In order to associate audio with chapters, audio data may be selected instead of selecting thumbnail images in the process of FIG. Note that the sound is played back only when chapter cueing is executed, so that the associated sound is played back without any interruption during scene playback. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing at what timing the audio data associated with the chapter is reproduced. If skipping is performed during the scene reproduction in step S2001 to skip to the beginning of a chapter, the determination in step S2002 is Yes, and the reproduction of the associated chapter is started at the same time as the next chapter reproduction is started in step S2003. If no skip is executed in step S2002, the scene reproduction is continued.

  With reference to FIG. 21, a description will be given of a process in which a user inputs audio data and associates the input audio data with a chapter. It is assumed that a chapter list screen as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed at the time of step S2100. In step S2101, the user selects a chapter for which voice is to be set, and in step S2102, selects "create voice" from the menu. In step S2103, a voice input screen is displayed, and the user inputs voice. At this time, a microphone built in the video camera may be used, or an external microphone may be attached and used. After completing the voice input by the user, in step S2104, a voice confirmation screen for asking the user whether or not to associate the input voice with the chapter is displayed. For example, the contents of the chapter are displayed on the voice confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 13, and three buttons “Yes”, “No”, and “Cancel” are prepared. At this time, if the sound is reproduced at the same time as the confirmation screen is displayed, the usability is improved. In step S2105, the user selects “Yes” to associate the voice with a chapter, and proceeds to step S2106. In step S2106, the audio is recorded on the DVD, and in step S2107, the audio management scene management information for the chapter is updated, and the process is terminated. In step S2105, when the user inputs the voice again, “No” is selected, and the process proceeds to step S2103 again. When canceling the voice association process with the chapter, “cancel” is selected in step S2105, and the process is terminated. Note that, instead of the user inputting voice in step S2103, voice data recorded in advance on an SD card or DVD may be associated. If this function is used, the audio file associated with the chapter is made into an audio file that explains the simple contents of the chapter. Help to grasp.

  Hereinafter, a process of extracting character information from still image video information set as a chapter thumbnail and setting the extracted character information as corresponding chapter metadata will be described.

  When setting a thumbnail for a chapter in the processes of FIGS. 9, 12, 15, and 17, character information is extracted from the set thumbnail image and recorded as metadata in scene management information. For example, the metadata recorded in the scene management information is displayed in the chapter information display area 602 of the chapter list screen as shown in FIG. The recorded metadata can be used when a keyword search is performed to find a scene or chapter that the user wants to reproduce. In order to set a keyword in the chapter metadata, the user only has to set a thumbnail, and it is not necessary to manually input the keyword, which is convenient. For example, when a theater for the year of mathematics is shot at a children's school, if each theater is divided into chapters and a still image including the theater title is set as a thumbnail of each chapter, the still image The character string of the title of the play is extracted from and recorded in the metadata of each chapter. The user can easily find a video of a desired theater by performing a keyword search on the theater title at a later date.

  In the following, a process of displaying a thumbnail of chapters created in a scene as a slide show will be described.

  A plurality of thumbnail images set for the chapters in the scene in the processes of FIGS. 9, 12, 15, and 17 are displayed as a slide show in the area 701 of the moving image information list screen as shown in FIG. The slide show display is realized by referring to the thumbnail image recording portion of the scene management information and displaying in order from the thumbnail image of the first chapter. The thumbnail image recording portion of the scene management information indicates, for example, 401 in FIG. At this time, if the user can change the setting of whether or not to display a slide show and the setting of the number of seconds for displaying each thumbnail image from the menu, the usability is improved. By displaying the chapter thumbnails as a slide show, the main scenes of the scene can be understood simply by displaying the moving image information list screen, so that the contents of the scene can be easily understood.

  Hereinafter, processing for restoring a thumbnail to a state before setting when the user sets an incorrect thumbnail as a chapter will be described.

  A restoration method when the user mistakenly executes the processes of FIGS. 9, 12, 15, and 17 and sets an incorrect thumbnail will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 22 is an example of scene management information used for thumbnail restoration. 2201 indicates the chapter ID, and 2202 records the path of the thumbnail image currently set in the chapter. In 2203, the path of the thumbnail image set in the chapter before the thumbnail image is set is recorded. If 2202 and 2203 are empty, it indicates that the first frame of the chapter is set as a thumbnail. FIG. 23 shows a processing flow when the user executes thumbnail restoration. It is assumed that the chapter list screen in FIG. 6 is displayed at the time of step S2300. In step S2301, when the user selects a chapter for which thumbnail restoration is to be performed and “thumbnail restoration” is executed from the menu, the scene management information is updated in step S2303. In step S2303, the previous thumbnail image path recorded in 2203 of the scene management information as shown in FIG. 22 is copied to 2202, and 2203 is emptied. Note that the number of restorations can be increased if more thumbnail change histories are recorded in the scene management information for thumbnail restoration. With this function, even if the user sets a thumbnail by mistake, it is possible to easily return to the state before setting without taking the trouble of resetting the thumbnail.

  As described above, with the example described above, it is possible to realize a function for the user to efficiently search for a target video.

  In the present embodiment, the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described by taking a video camera as an example. In addition, an apparatus in which a camera is externally connected to a DVD recorder, for example, is also an embodiment of the present invention. .

Block diagram showing a configuration example of a recording / reproducing apparatus The figure which shows an example of the scene management information regarding the positional information on a chapter The figure which shows an example of the scene management information regarding the importance information of a chapter The figure which shows an example of the scene management information regarding the thumbnail information of a chapter The figure which shows an example of the chapter creation mode screen Figure showing an example of a chapter list screen The figure which shows an example of the moving image image information list screen recorded on DVD Diagram showing an example of a process flow for creating chapters The figure which shows the example of the processing flow which sets the thumbnail in the chapter The figure which shows an example of the still image shooting screen for thumbnails The figure which shows an example of the still image confirmation screen for thumbnails Diagram showing an example of a processing flow for performing chapter creation and chapter thumbnail shooting / setting simultaneously Figure showing an example of a chapter position confirmation screen The figure which shows an example of the screen which sets the thumbnail to the chapter from the still image list screen The figure which shows the example of a processing flow which sets the image in an SD card as a thumbnail to a chapter from a still image list screen The figure which shows an example of the screen which sets the thumbnail to the chapter from the chapter list screen The figure which shows the example of a processing flow which sets the image in an SD card to a chapter from a chapter list screen as a thumbnail The figure which shows an example of the importance setting screen of a chapter Figure showing an example of chapter importance setting The figure which shows the example of a processing flow which reproduces | regenerates the voice linked | related with the chapter The figure which shows the example of the processing flow which relates the input voice to the chapter The figure which shows an example of the scene management information used for the thumbnail restoration of a chapter The figure which shows the example of a processing flow which performs the thumbnail restoration of the chapter

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... System control part, 102 ... User interface, 103 ... Lens, 104 ... CCD, 105 ... A / D converter, 106 ... CODEC, 107 ... RAM, 108 ... Drive control part, 109 ... DVD, 110 ... Card control part 111 ... SD card, 112 ... display unit, 113 ... LED, 201 ... chapter ID, 202 ... chapter head frame position, 301 ... video information list screen, 301 ... chapter priority, 401 ... chapter thumbnail image 501 ... Area where scene playback is performed, 502 ... Area where camera through is displayed, 601 ... Area where chapter thumbnails are displayed, 602 ... Area where chapter information is displayed, 701 ... Area where thumbnails of scenes are displayed , S801 to S804 ... Contents of the processing flow of FIG. 8, S901 to S908 ... 9 processing flow contents, 1101... Area for displaying thumbnails set for chapters, 1102... Chapter playback area, S 1200 to S 1207... Processing flow contents in FIG. 12, 1301. 1401... Area for displaying thumbnails to be set for chapters, 1402... Area for reproducing chapters, 1403... Area for displaying chapter information, S1500 to S1505. Area to reproduce, 1602 ... Area to display still image, 1603 ... Area to display information of still image, S1700 to S1705 ... Contents of processing flow of Fig. 17, 1801 ... Area to reproduce chapter, 1802 ... Setting importance of chapter Button, S2000 to S2004 of FIG. Contents of the processing flow, S2100 to S2108... Processing flow contents of FIG. 21. 2202. Chapter ID 2202... Path name of the currently set thumbnail image 2203... Path name of the thumbnail image set last time, S2300 to S2303 ... Process flow contents of FIG.

Claims (8)

Video information input means having an image sensor;
Recording means for recording the video information input from the video information input means on a recording medium;
Reproducing means for reproducing the video information recorded on the recording medium;
A display for displaying video information;
Video recording control means for controlling the recording means to record the video information input from the video information input means on the recording medium;
Still image recording control means for controlling the recording means to record the still image video information input from the video information input means on the recording medium;
Chapter creation means for creating and setting chapters in the moving image information recorded in the recording medium;
A thumbnail setting unit for recording and setting a thumbnail corresponding to the chapter using the still image recording control unit;
A recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1,
Importance setting means for setting the importance to the set chapter,
Cue processing control means for changing the cue processing of chapters using the set importance,
A recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
Voice input means;
Voice recording means for recording voice information input from the voice input means;
A voice setting means for associating any voice with the set chapter;
Playback control means for playing back the sound simultaneously with chapter playback only when the user performs a cueing of the chapter by a button operation;
A recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: The recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Reading means for reading character information from still images recorded as chapter thumbnails;
Additional information setting means for setting the read character information as additional information of the chapter;
Search means for searching for chapters using the additional information;
A recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: The recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A recording / reproducing apparatus comprising display means for displaying a plurality of thumbnails corresponding to chapters as a slide show. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: a restoring unit that restores a thumbnail set in a chapter to a state before setting. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A recording / reproducing apparatus comprising display means for displaying a thumbnail list screen of chapters set in a scene. Imaging means for imaging a subject and outputting video information;
Recording means for recording the video information on a recording medium;
Operation means for receiving an instruction to shift to a thumbnail imaging mode for imaging second video information as a thumbnail of the first video information recorded on the recording medium;
When the operation unit shifts to the thumbnail imaging mode, the second video information captured by the imaging unit in the thumbnail imaging mode is recorded on the recording medium as a thumbnail of the first video information. Control means for controlling the recording means;
A recording / reproducing apparatus comprising:

Images