JP2010279066A - Image processing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To output a thumbnail image group including moving images while suppressing increase in an information throughput for display. <P>SOLUTION: The image processing apparatus includes a playback means for simultaneous playback of two or more moving images, and an output means for creation and output of a thumbnail image group including two or more moving images and still images to be played back simultaneously. The output means switches a first moving image, that is a moving image included in the thumbnail image group, to a first still image corresponding to the first moving image and outputs the first still image during output of the thumbnail image group. When this switching is performed, a second still image, that is a still image included in the thumbnail image group, is switched to a second moving image corresponding to the second still image, which is output. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method.

  When displaying multiple images on a video display device, etc., the reduced images (thumbnail images) of each image are arranged on the same screen and displayed as a group of thumbnail images at the same time, and the user confirms each of the multiple images at a glance. The thumbnail image group display form is used in various situations.

  For example, when a still image is extracted from a series of moving images at predetermined time intervals, a group of thumbnail images including these still images is displayed, and the user selects a still image in the group of thumbnail images, the still image is displayed. A list screen generation device that displays a moving image after an image has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-122604

  For example, when displaying a moving image as a thumbnail for each chapter as in Patent Document 1 and a user selects a desired scene from the thumbnail, each display is a moving image display rather than a still image display. The user can easily recognize which scene the display is.

  However, if you try to make all the displays displayed in thumbnails into videos, the amount of information processing will be too large for the display, and there may be cases where all videos cannot be displayed smoothly on a general video playback device. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus and an image processing method for creating a thumbnail image group using moving images without excessively increasing the amount of information processing for display. .

  The image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a playback unit that plays back two or more moving images simultaneously, and an output unit that creates and outputs a thumbnail image group including two or more moving images played back simultaneously and a still image. The output means automatically outputs the first moving image, which is a moving image included in the thumbnail image group, to the first still image corresponding to the first moving image during the output of the thumbnail image group. When the switching is performed, the second still image that is a still image included in the thumbnail image group is switched to the second moving image corresponding to the second still image and is output. And

  Further, the image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a reproducing unit that reproduces two or more moving images simultaneously, an output unit that generates and outputs a thumbnail image group including two or more moving images that are reproduced simultaneously and a still image, The output means switches the first moving image, which is a moving image included in the thumbnail image group, to the first still image corresponding to the first moving image and outputs it during the output of the thumbnail image group. When the switching is performed, a second still image that is a still image included in the thumbnail image group is switched to a second moving image corresponding to the second still image and output. To do.

  Further, in the image processing method of the present invention, the output means outputs a thumbnail image group including a step in which the reproducing means reproduces two or more moving images simultaneously, two or more moving images simultaneously reproduced by the reproducing means, and a still image. Creating and outputting, and during the output of the thumbnail image group, the output means corresponds to a first video that is a video included in the thumbnail image group and corresponds to the first video. When the switching is performed, the second still image that is a still image included in the thumbnail image group is changed to a second moving image corresponding to the second still image. It is characterized by switching and outputting.

  According to the present invention, an image processing apparatus capable of creating a thumbnail image group of moving images without displaying an excessively large amount of information processing by displaying a portion of the thumbnail display as moving images. An image processing method can be provided.

1 is an overview perspective view illustrating an example of a television according to a first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display of thumbnail images in the first embodiment. The block diagram which shows an example of the internal hardware constitutions of the television in 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows an example of the function structure of the television in 1st Embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display of thumbnail images in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display of thumbnail images in the first embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the processing flow of the display process of the thumbnail image group in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the processing flow of the display process of the thumbnail image group in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the display of the thumbnail image group in 2nd Embodiment. The block diagram which shows an example of the function structure of the television in 2nd Embodiment.

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

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of a thumbnail creating apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is an overview perspective view showing an example of a television 10 in the present embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a television 10 and an LCD 11.

  The television 10 is, for example, a digital television, and has a function of receiving a television broadcast transmitted from each broadcasting station and outputting video information to a user. The television 10 also has a storage medium, and has a function as a thumbnail creation device that reproduces media data stored in the storage medium and outputs it to the user.

  The LCD 11 is a liquid crystal display, for example, and is a display device in the television 10. It has a function of outputting image information of the television 10 to the user. In the present embodiment, a liquid crystal display is illustrated as an example of the LCD 11, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other display devices such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and a PDP (Plasma Display Panel) can be considered. .

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the display of thumbnail images in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a television 10, an LCD 11, a thumbnail image group 21, a thumbnail 22, a moving image area 23, and a selection area 24.

  In the present embodiment, an example is given in which a user selects a target viewing location of a series of videos divided into a plurality of chapters using a thumbnail image group, and the selected video is viewed on the entire screen of the LCD 11. explain. The user finds a target viewing location from the thumbnail image group 21 and selects a thumbnail 22 that is the target viewing location from the selection area 24, so that the chapter including the display on the thumbnail 22 can be viewed on the entire screen of the LCD 11. Is possible.

  The thumbnail image group 21 is a display group composed of a plurality of thumbnails 22 and is displayed on the LCD 11. In the present embodiment, the thumbnail image group 21 is composed of a total of 48 thumbnails 22 of 6 vertical × 8 horizontal. The number of thumbnails 22 is an example in the present embodiment, and is not limited to this.

  The thumbnail 22 is one of the displays constituting the thumbnail image group 21, and a series of moving images intended for viewing by the user is displayed for each chapter as a still image or moving image of a part of the chapter. The thumbnails 22 are displayed in the order of chapter 1, chapter 2,..., Chapter 48 from the upper left to the lower right as indicated by the numbers shown in FIG.

  The moving image area 23 is an area where the thumbnail 22 displays chapters as moving images. The moving image area 23 in the present embodiment has a size that includes all the horizontal rows of the thumbnail image group 21, and the thumbnail 22 in the moving image area 23 displays each chapter as a moving image and does not belong to the moving image area 23. A chapter 22 is displayed as a still image. The presence of the moving image area 23 makes it easier for the user to confirm which part is being displayed as a moving image.

  The selection area 24 is an area for selecting each thumbnail 22 of the thumbnail image group 21, and the user moves this area and selects the thumbnail 22 displaying the chapter to be viewed, so that the entire screen of the LCD 11 is selected. The chapter moving image displayed on the selected thumbnail 22 can be viewed.

  In this way, the user confirms the display of each chapter of the moving image by the thumbnail image group 21, and views the target chapter by selecting the thumbnail 22 on which the chapter to be viewed is displayed.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal hardware configuration of the television 10 in the present embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a television 10, a CPU 30, a memory 31, an HDD 32, an input unit 33, a display control unit 34, an LCD 11, an audio control unit 35, a speaker 36, a decoder 37, a tuner 38, and a bus 39.

  The CPU 30 is a central processing unit, and controls the entire television 10. It also has a function of executing a program and performing a predetermined process according to the execution program.

  The memory 31 is a non-volatile storage medium constituted by a semiconductor memory. Various programs executed by the CPU 30 are stored in the memory 31. In the present embodiment, a thumbnail image group display application program and a moving image reproduction application program are provided, and the thumbnail image group 21 is displayed by executing the thumbnail image group display application program, and the moving image reproduction application program is executed. Thus, the moving image is reproduced on the entire screen of the LCD 11.

  The HDD 32 is a non-volatile mass storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The HDD 32 has a series of moving image media data that can be output by the television 10.

  The input unit 33 has a function of inputting an operation instruction from the user to the television 10 as an electric signal. For example, the input unit 33 may be a receiving unit that receives an operation signal from a user operation button installed on the television 10 or a remote-controllable remote controller. The user can input an operation using a remote controller or the like, and can select a channel to be viewed on the television 10 via the input unit 33. User operations such as movement of the selection area 24 are also input from the input unit 33.

  The display control unit 34 draws an image to be displayed on the television 10 based on a drawing instruction from the CPU 30, image information decoded by the decoder 37, and video information such as media data stored in the HDD 32. It has a function to display.

  The sound control unit 35 generates sound output from the television 10 based on instructions from the CPU 30, sound information decoded by the decoder 37, and sound information such as media data stored in the HDD 32, and the sound is output to the speaker 36. It has a function to output sound.

The sound output device in the speaker 36 has a function of outputting sound information of the television 10 to the user.

The decoder 37 has a function of performing decoding processing on the broadcast wave received by the tuner 38 and converting it into a signal that can be output as an image or sound by the television 10.

  The tuner 38 has a function of receiving a broadcast wave transmitted from a broadcast station.

  The bus 39 connects the modules to be connected in the television 10 so that they can communicate with each other.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the television 10 in the present embodiment. 3 shows the HDD 32, the input unit 33, the display control unit 34, the LCD 11, the media data 41, the image data 42, the audio data 43, the thumbnail image group display application 44, the chapter division unit 45, the moving image display unit 46, and the thumbnail image group. A display unit 47, a video playback application 48, and an all video playback unit 49 are shown. In the present embodiment, the thumbnail image group display application 44 performs a display process of the thumbnail image group 21 and a chapter selection process for displaying the thumbnail image group 21, and performs a reproduction process on the entire screen of the LCD 11 of the chapter selected by the moving image reproduction application 48.

  The media data 41 is a series of moving image data files stored in the HDD 32, and includes image data 42 and audio data 43. The image data 42 is image data that can be output by the LCD 11, and the audio data 43 is audio data that can be output by the speaker 36.

  The thumbnail image group display application 44 is an application executed by the CPU 30 to display the thumbnail image group 21 including a moving image on the LCD 11. The thumbnail image group display application 44 includes a chapter division unit 45, a moving image display unit 46, and a thumbnail image group display unit 47.

  The chapter division unit 45 has a function of performing chapter division on a series of moving images of the media data 41. The chapter division unit 45 accesses the HDD 32 to acquire the media data 41, and performs chapter division on a series of moving images of the media data 41. In the present embodiment, the chapter division unit 45 divides a moving image into chapters at regular time intervals from the start time, and assigns chapter numbers, which are numbers used for identifying each chapter in order from the top chapter. When chapter division ends, the chapter division unit 45 instructs the thumbnail image group display unit 47 to associate each chapter with the top still image of each chapter (in this embodiment, the first I frame of each chapter). The information on the chapter start time and the chapter number information in all the moving images is transmitted. The information is transmitted to the moving image display unit 46.

  When the moving image display unit 46 receives the information from the chapter dividing unit 45, the moving image display unit 46 acquires a part of the image data 42 from the HDD 32 based on the information, and generates a moving image of a predetermined time (or all) from the head of each chapter. It has a function.

  The thumbnail image group display unit 47 has a function of generating images of the thumbnail image group 21, the moving image area 23, and the selection area 24 to be displayed on the LCD 11. The thumbnail image group display unit 47 arranges the still images of the chapters acquired from the chapter division unit 45 in the order of chapters as thumbnails 22 and superimposes the display of the moving image area 23 and the selection area 24 thereon. Further, the chapter number of the chapter belonging to the moving image area 23 is notified to the moving image display unit 46 here. Upon receiving the notification, the moving image display unit 46 generates a moving image from the chapter start time corresponding to the notified chapter number, and transmits each of the generated moving images to the thumbnail image group display unit 47. The thumbnail image group display unit 47 that has received the moving image of each chapter belonging to the moving image area 23 displays the thumbnail 22 corresponding to each chapter belonging to the moving image region 23 as a moving image using the moving image received from the moving image display unit 46. When displaying, an image signal is transmitted to the display control unit 34 and displayed on the LCD 11. Further, when the moving image area 23 is moved, a function of acquiring the moving image from the moving image area 23 and displaying it by the thumbnail 22 is performed on the chapter displayed by the thumbnail 22 included at the moved position. Have.

  Further, the thumbnail image group display unit 47 detects that a specific thumbnail 22 has been selected from the input unit 33 using the selection area 24, and sets the start time for all the moving images of the selected chapter to the all moving image playback unit 49. The thumbnail image group display application 44 is terminated.

  The moving image reproduction application 48 is an application executed by the CPU 30 when displaying a moving image on the entire LCD 11. The moving image reproduction application 48 has an all moving image reproduction unit 49.

  Upon receiving the start time of all the moving images of the chapter selected by the selection area 24 from the thumbnail image group display unit 47, the all moving image reproducing unit 49 acquires the media data 41 from the HDD 32, and from the start time, the moving image is displayed on the LCD 11 full screen. Has a function of playing back. The whole moving image reproduction unit 49 transmits signals to the display control unit 34 and the audio control unit 35, and causes the video and audio of the moving image to be output by the LCD 11 and the speaker 36.

  FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of the display of thumbnail images in the present embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a television 10, an LCD 11, a thumbnail image group 21, a thumbnail 22, a moving image area 23, and a selection area 24.

  In the present embodiment, the moving image area 23 is movable in the vertical direction for each stage. FIG. 5 is an example of display when the moving image area 24 is lowered one step in the display example of the thumbnail image group 21 shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the moving image area 23 can move in the vertical direction, and even when the movement is performed, the thumbnails 22 (chapter 9 to chapter 16 in FIG. 5) included in the moving image area 23 are displayed as moving images. Do.

  Regarding the movement of the moving image area 23, several moving methods are conceivable. In this embodiment, the moving methods of the two moving image areas 23 are exemplified, and the respective methods are listed below.

  Method 1. It moves by one step in the downward direction at every elapse of a predetermined time.

  Method 2. A downward or upward movement is performed according to an instruction from the user.

  In Method 1, the thumbnail image group display unit 47 monitors the elapse of a predetermined time, and moves the moving image area 23 downward when the predetermined time elapses.

  In Method 2, the moving image area 23 is moved downward or upward in accordance with a movement instruction from the user via the input unit 33. The moving method of these two moving image areas 23 will be described later. However, these moving methods are merely examples, and other methods are naturally conceivable and are not limited thereto.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the display of thumbnail images in the present embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a television 10, an LCD 11, a thumbnail image group 21, a thumbnail 22, a moving image area 23, and a selection area 24.

  In the present embodiment, the thumbnail image group 21 illustrates 48 thumbnails 22 side by side. However, when the number of moving image chapters is less than 48, or when the number exceeds 48, the thumbnails 22 are 48. Displays a group of thumbnail images that do not become individual. For example, when the number is small, all chapters are arranged from the upper left, and the thumbnail image group 21 is displayed up to the middle of the screen as shown in FIG. If the number of thumbnails is large, the number of thumbnails 22 is increased by increasing the number of thumbnails 22 as a whole on a screen for displaying thumbnail images. When displaying by a plurality of pages, the 48 chapters from the top are displayed as the thumbnail 22 on the first page, and the 49th chapter and subsequent chapters are displayed on the second and subsequent pages. With this configuration, the last page is displayed as shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 6, 29 thumbnails 22 are displayed as the thumbnail image group 21, and the moving image area 23 is displayed at the bottom of the thumbnail image group 21. The moving image area 23 includes a thumbnail 22 for displaying the final chapter as shown in the figure.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of the thumbnail image group display processing in the present embodiment. FIG. 7 illustrates a case where the moving process by the above-described method 1 is performed when moving the moving image area 23.

  First, the chapter division unit 45 accesses the HDD 32, acquires the media data 41 stored in the HDD 32, and performs chapter division (S701). After dividing the chapter, the chapter division unit 45 transmits to the thumbnail image group display unit 47 information on the start time of each chapter in each chapter in association with each chapter number and the top still image of each chapter. Here, the chapter division unit 45 also transmits start time information of all moving images of each chapter to the moving image display unit 46 in association with each chapter number.

  The thumbnail image group display unit 47 creates the thumbnail image group 21 based on the information acquired from the chapter division unit 45 and displays it on the LCD 11 via the display control unit 34 (S702). In addition, the selection area 24 and the moving image area 23 are created and displayed on the LCD 11 (S703). In addition, the thumbnail image group display unit 47 instructs the moving image display unit 46 to transmit moving image data corresponding to the chapter of the thumbnail 22 existing in the moving image area 23. The moving image display unit 46 transmits the moving image data of the chapter instructed to be transmitted to the thumbnail image group display unit 47, and the thumbnail image group display unit 47 that has received the moving image data displays each chapter in the thumbnail 22 in the moving image area 23. Is displayed (S704).

  The thumbnail image group display unit 47 determines whether or not the thumbnail 22 has been selected from the input unit 33 (S705). If it has not been selected (No), the thumbnail 22 in the video area 23 is next selected. It is determined whether or not all the moving images displayed on the screen have been reproduced (S706). If the reproduction of all the moving images is completed in S706 (Yes), the thumbnail image group display unit 47 performs a process of moving to the lower stage of the moving image area 23 (S707). When the movement source (the location where the moving image area 23 has existed so far) is not the lowest level of the thumbnail image group 21 (No in S708), the thumbnail image group display unit 47 moves the moving image area 23 to the next lower level. Move (S709). When the movement source is the bottom row of the thumbnail image group 21 in S708 (Yes), the thumbnail image group display unit 47 indicates whether the thumbnail 22 in the moving image area 23 of the movement source is displaying the last chapter of a series of moving images. Whether or not it is displayed (Yes), the moving image area 23 is moved to the top row of the thumbnail image group 21 of the first page (S711). If it is not displayed in S710 (No), the thumbnail image group display unit 47 moves the display of the moving image area 23 to the top row of the next page (S712). When all the moving images have not been played back in S706, when the processing of S709 is completed, when the processing of S711 is completed, and when the processing of S712 is completed, the processing flow returns to S704.

  When the thumbnail 22 is selected in S705 (Yes), the thumbnail image group display unit 47 transmits the start time information of all the videos of the selected chapter to the all video playback unit 49, and the all video playback unit 49 The moving image of the selected chapter is displayed on the full screen of the LCD 11 (S713). With the end of the processing of S713, the series of processing flow of the thumbnail image group display processing ends.

  If Method 1 is used as the moving method of the moving image area 23, all the thumbnails 22 are finally displayed as moving images, and the user can view all the thumbnails 22 with moving images. In addition, the user can check the thumbnail image group 21 by the moving image without knowing the movement of the moving image area 23.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of the thumbnail image group display processing in the present embodiment. FIG. 8 illustrates a case where the moving process by the above-described method 2 is performed when displaying the thumbnail image group. In the processing flow shown in FIG. 8, S801 to S805 are the same as S701 to S705 in FIG.

  When the thumbnail 22 is not selected in S805, the thumbnail image group display unit 47 determines whether or not an instruction to move the moving image area 23 is received from the user (S806). The determination as to whether or not a movement instruction has been received here is determination as to whether or not an instruction has been received by the input unit 33. When an instruction to move the moving image area 23 is received in S806 (Yes), the thumbnail image group display unit 47 performs moving processing of the moving image area 23 according to the instruction from the user (S807). If the movement according to the moving instruction of the moving image area 23 from the user is not in the direction to the outside of the screen (No in S808), the moving area 23 is moved in the direction indicated by the user (S809). Here, the movement of the moving image area 23 is out of the screen. For example, when the moving image area 23 is at the top of the thumbnail image group 21, an upward movement instruction is given. Indicates a case where an instruction to move downward is given when the thumbnail image group 21 is at the bottom of the thumbnail image group 21. If the moving instruction of the moving image area 23 from the user is directed to the outside of the screen in S808 (Yes), the thumbnail image group display unit 47 determines whether or not the moving source area of the moving image area 23 is at the top of the thumbnail image group 21. Is determined (S810). When it is determined in S810 that it is the top row (Yes), the thumbnail image group display unit 47 is displayed at the bottom row of the last page of the thumbnail image group 21 (1 when the thumbnail image group display unit 47 is only one page). The moving image display 23 is moved to the bottom row of the page (S811). When it is determined in S810 that it is not the top row (No), the thumbnail image group display unit 47 determines whether or not the thumbnail 22 existing in the moving source moving image area 23 includes the last chapter (S812). ). When it is determined in S812 that the thumbnail 22 includes the final chapter (Yes), the thumbnail image group display unit 47 moves the moving image area 23 to the top row of the first page of the thumbnail image group 21 (S813). . When it is determined that the image is not included in S812, the thumbnail image group display unit 47 moves the moving image area 23 to the top row of the next page of the thumbnail image group 21 (S814). In S806, when the moving instruction of the moving image area 23 is not received, when the process of S809 is completed, when the process of S811 is completed, when the process of S813 is completed, and when the process of S814 is completed, the process flow proceeds to S804. And return.

  When the thumbnail 22 is selected in S805 (Yes), the thumbnail image group display unit 47 transmits the information of the selected chapter to the all moving image reproducing unit 49, and the all moving image reproducing unit 49 transmits the selected chapter. The moving image is displayed on the full screen of the LCD 11 (S815). With the end of the process of S815, the series of processing flow of the thumbnail image group display process ends.

  If the method 2 is used as the moving method of the moving image area 23, the user can immediately confirm the moving image of the thumbnail 22 to be confirmed by operation, which is highly convenient.

  As described above, it is possible to display the thumbnail image group using the method 1 and the method 2. The thumbnail image group display process may be performed by either method 1 or method 2, or a combination of these methods may be performed.

  In this embodiment, a case where chapter division is performed every predetermined time is illustrated as a chapter division method. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other division methods are also conceivable. For example, a method of performing chapter division when a large scene change is performed, a method of performing cheer detection, and a method of performing chapter division when the sound volume becomes a certain level or more can be considered.

  In the present embodiment, the moving image area 23 has a size that covers one horizontal row of the thumbnail image group 21, but is not limited thereto. The moving image area 23 may have a variety of sizes from a size that includes only two thumbnails 22 to a size larger than that shown in the present embodiment (a size that spans two or more levels). Further, the moving image area 23 is not limited to a single area, and a plurality of moving image areas 23 may exist. Further, the shape of the moving image area 23 does not cover only one horizontal step, and may extend over other steps.

  According to the thumbnail creation device of the present embodiment, by displaying a part of the thumbnail image group as a moving image, it is possible to display the thumbnail image group including the moving image without increasing the information processing amount of the video reproduction processing device. This makes it easy for the user to find the target viewing location in the video.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the thumbnail creation apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the display of thumbnail images in the present embodiment. FIG. 9 shows a television 10, an LCD 11, a thumbnail image group 21, a thumbnail 22, a moving image area 23, a selection area 24, a moving image title 91, and a chapter time 92.

  In the present embodiment, a case is considered in which a target scene of a moving image to be viewed is selected using a thumbnail image group 21 from a plurality of series of moving images.

  In the present embodiment, regarding a plurality of moving images, still images or moving images that are a part thereof are displayed by the thumbnail image group 21. In the thumbnail image group 21, a series of moving images are arranged vertically as thumbnails 22 for each chapter, and thumbnails 22 of different series of moving images are arranged in different vertical columns. In the present embodiment, the chapters of each moving image are divided at the same time interval, and are arranged in order from the top of the first chapter. With this configuration, a series of different moving images are vertically arranged as shown in FIG. 9, and the same time zone display is arranged horizontally.

  The moving image title 91 is a title of each series of displayed moving images, and a moving image still image or moving image thumbnail 22 corresponding to the moving image title 91 is displayed vertically below the moving image title 91. Here, the moving image title 91 may be displayed by the title of each moving image, or the user can recognize that a different moving image is displayed for each group of thumbnails 22 in a single vertical row as shown in FIG. It is good also as a display of a grade.

  A chapter time 92 indicates a start time and an end time in a series of moving images of the thumbnails 22 arranged in the same horizontal row.

  The moving image area 23 exists so as to include all the thumbnails 22 existing in the same horizontal row of the thumbnail image group 21 and moves as in the first embodiment. Since the thumbnails 22 existing in the same horizontal row are included in the moving image area 23, the display of the same time zone of each series of moving images (the display after the same time has elapsed from the start time) is displayed by the moving images.

  For example, in the upper right thumbnail 22 in FIG. 4, a display indicating a chapter for 30 minutes from the start of a series of moving images called moving image “a” is made. Since this thumbnail 22 belongs to the moving image area 23, the moving image is displayed. .

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the television 10 in the present embodiment. 10 shows the HDD 32, the input unit 33, the display control unit 34, the LCD 11, the media data 41, the image data 42, the audio data 43, the media data 1001, the image data 1002, the audio data 1003, the thumbnail image group display application 44, the chapter. A dividing unit 45, a moving image display unit 46, a thumbnail image group display unit 47, a moving image reproduction application 48, and an all moving image reproduction unit 49 are shown.

  A block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration in the present embodiment is almost the same as that in FIG. The difference is that there are a plurality of media data in the HDD 32, and the functions of the chapter division unit 45, the moving image display unit 46, and the thumbnail image group display unit 47 are different.

  These functional blocks acquire data from single media data in the first embodiment, but acquire data from a plurality of media data in this embodiment. For this reason, the chapter number, chapter start time, information on the still image or moving image in each chapter, and information on which media data the chapters are stored in have been transmitted and received in the first embodiment. Send and receive.

  The HDD 32 has a plurality of media data such as media data 41 and media data 1001. In this embodiment, in FIG. 9, six moving images such as moving image a to moving image f are displayed, and there are six media data because there is media data for each. In FIG. 9, media data 41 and media data are present. Only the two media data 1001 are illustrated, and the remaining four are omitted.

  In this embodiment, the chapter division unit 45 accesses the HDD 32 to acquire each media data, and performs chapter division processing for each moving image. The chapter division unit 45 divides each video into chapters in the same time zone, and for each chapter, the above-described chapter number, chapter start time, still image or video in each chapter, and which media data video these chapters are. It has a function of associating some information and transmitting it to the thumbnail image group display unit 47 and the moving image display unit 46.

  The thumbnail image group display unit 47 arranges the thumbnails 22 based on the information received from the chapter division unit 45 to create the thumbnail image group 21, and displays the moving image title 91, chapter time 92, moving image region 23, and selection region 24 as the thumbnail image group 21. A display image is created by overlaying. In addition, information about which media data is the moving image of the chapter displayed in the thumbnail 22 included in the moving image area 23 and the chapter number are transmitted to the moving image display unit 46.

  When the moving image display unit 46 receives the information from the thumbnail image group display unit 47, it selects the media data stored in the HDD 32 from the information of which media data is the chapter, and the image corresponding to the chapter. Data is acquired to generate a moving image for a predetermined time (or all) from the beginning of each chapter, and the moving image information is transmitted to the thumbnail image group display unit 47.

  The thumbnail image group display unit 47 that has received the moving image information creates the thumbnail image group 21 by using the received moving image information to display the thumbnail 22 belonging to the moving image area 23 as a moving image, and displays it on the LCD 11 via the display control unit 34. Let

  When any one of the thumbnails 22 is selected later, information on which media data is the moving image and information on the chapter start time are transmitted to the entire moving image reproducing unit 49, and the thumbnail image group display unit 47 The display of the thumbnail image group 21 is terminated. Further, the whole moving image playback unit 49 displays the moving image from the selected chapter start time on the entire screen of the LCD 11 based on the information on which media data the moving image is and the information on the chapter start time.

  In the present embodiment, the chapter division method is exemplified so that chapter division is performed uniformly for all moving images at predetermined time intervals. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the chapter is changed when a large scene change is performed. There are a method of dividing, a method of performing cheering detection, and a method of dividing a chapter when the sound volume exceeds a certain level. Further, if the series of moving images to be displayed are originally divided into chapters, the thumbnail image group may be displayed using the original chapter division as it is without performing chapter division again.

  In the present embodiment, a television is exemplified as the thumbnail creation device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and thumbnail creation devices such as an HDD player and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) player are also conceivable.

  In the present embodiment, some thumbnails of the thumbnail image group are displayed as moving images, but if all the thumbnails are displayed as moving images, the entire screen will be confused and difficult to see. there is a possibility. In this embodiment, only a part is displayed as a moving image, so that an orderly display can be performed as a whole.

  According to the thumbnail creating apparatus of the present embodiment, a part of the thumbnail image group is displayed as a moving image, so that the user can easily find a target viewing location from a plurality of moving images. Further, in the present embodiment, the same image chapter is displayed on the vertical row of thumbnails, and the thumbnail image group including the moving image is displayed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Still images or moving images may be displayed. At this time, it can be considered that the same configuration as in the present embodiment can be performed.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

10: TV 11: LCD
21: Thumbnail image group 22: Thumbnail 23: Movie area 24: Selection area 30: CPU
31: Memory 32: HDD
33: Input unit 34: Display control unit 35: Audio control unit 36: Speaker 37: Decoder 38: Tuner 39: Bus 41: Media data 42: Image data 43: Audio data 44: Thumbnail image group display application 45: Chapter division unit 46: Movie display unit 47: Thumbnail image group display unit 48: Movie playback application 49: All movie playback unit 91: Movie title 92: Chapter time 1001: Media data 1002: Image data 1003: Audio data

Claims (10)

Playback means for simultaneously playing two or more videos;
Output means for creating and outputting a thumbnail image group including two or more moving images to be played back simultaneously and a still image;
During the output of the thumbnail image group, the output means automatically switches and outputs a first moving image that is a moving image included in the thumbnail image group to a first still image corresponding to the first moving image, When the switching is performed, a second still image that is a still image included in the thumbnail image group is switched to a second moving image corresponding to the second still image and is output;
An image processing apparatus. The output means automatically outputs the first moving image when the reproduction of the first moving image included in the thumbnail image group is completed or when the passage of a predetermined time is detected. Switching to the image and outputting the second still image included in the thumbnail image group to the second moving image,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1. Movie area creating means for creating an area including all the videos played on the thumbnail image group as a movie area on the thumbnail image group;
Moving image area moving means for moving the moving image area created by the moving image area creating means on the thumbnail image group;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: Selecting means for selecting one still image or moving image on the thumbnail image group;
Means for displaying a moving image corresponding to the still image selected by the selecting means or the moving image selected on the thumbnail image group on a display device with an enlarged size;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: Chapter division means for performing chapter division on a third video different from the first and second videos;
Still image creating means for creating the first and second still images based on a plurality of chapters divided by the chapter dividing means;
A plurality of moving images each including the first and second still images generated by the still image generating means are extracted from the third moving image, and the extracted moving images are generated as the first and second moving images. Video creation means,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The chapter dividing means performs chapter division for each of the plurality of third moving images,
The still image creating means creates a plurality of the first and second still images based on a plurality of chapters divided from each of the plurality of third moving images,
The moving image creating unit extracts a plurality of moving images each including the plurality of first and second still images generated by the still image creating unit from the plurality of third moving images, and a plurality of the extracted moving images. Creating the first and second videos of
The image processing apparatus according to claim 5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display device that displays the video output by the output unit. Playback means for simultaneously playing two or more videos;
Output means for creating and outputting a thumbnail image group including two or more moving images to be played back simultaneously and a still image;
During the output of the thumbnail image group, the output means switches and outputs a first moving image that is a moving image included in the thumbnail image group to a first still image corresponding to the first moving image. When the second still image that is a still image included in the thumbnail image group is switched to a second moving image corresponding to the second still image,
An image processing apparatus. An image creating means for creating an image indicating an area including two or more thumbnails in the thumbnail image group;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the output unit outputs a thumbnail included in the area as a moving image, and outputs a thumbnail not included in the area as a still image. A step in which the reproduction means reproduces two or more videos simultaneously;
An output unit that creates and outputs a thumbnail image group including two or more moving images that are played back simultaneously by the playback unit and a still image; and
During the output of the thumbnail image group, the output means switches and outputs a first moving image that is a moving image included in the thumbnail image group to a first still image corresponding to the first moving image. The second still image, which is a still image included in the thumbnail image group, is switched to a second moving image corresponding to the second still image, and is output.
An image processing method characterized by the above.

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