JP2014003425A - Video reproduction device, program, video reproduction method and server system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video reproduction device, program and video reproduction method and a server system, etc. for generating a plurality of reproduction video in duration of a designated time or less from a plurality of acquisition video and then reproducing the generated video simultaneously, making it easy to grasp the contents of the plurality of acquisition video.SOLUTION: The video reproduction device comprises: an acquisition unit 100 for acquiring a plurality of acquisition video; a generation unit 200 for executing treatment processing on the plurality of acquisition video thus acquired, to generate a plurality of reproduction video; and a reproduction unit 300 for executing simultaneous reproduction processing on the plurality of reproduction video thus generated. The generation unit 200 executes, as the treatment processing, reproduction time change processing for limiting the reproduction time to a designated time or less on the acquisition video, thereby generating reproduction video.

Description

  The present invention relates to a video playback device, a program, a video playback method, a server system, and the like.

  Conventionally, various methods have been used to facilitate the grasping of the contents of a plurality of videos (moving images). For example, there is a technique in which one representative frame per video is extracted as a still image, and the extracted still images are displayed as a list. However, it is difficult to grasp the contents of each video with only one still image.

  On the other hand, there is a technique for trying to help grasp the contents by representing one video by a plurality of still images. For example, in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a plurality of still images are extracted from one video, and the extracted plurality of still images are displayed by applying them to a frame that is divided into comic frames. A technique for enhancing is disclosed.

  Further, Patent Document 3 discloses that a long-time video is divided into a plurality of video cliplets under a condition that a predetermined time or less and only one scene is included, and a thumbnail (a still image as a key frame) is provided for each video cliplet. A technique for displaying is disclosed. In Patent Literature 3, the content graspability of the entire video for a long time is improved by setting the display order of thumbnails according to the interest and importance of the user.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 extracts a same number of thumbnails from a plurality of videos having different lengths and arranges them side by side, thereby facilitating grasping the contents even when the lengths of the plurality of videos are different from each other. Is disclosed.

JP 2010-191934 A JP 2011-66546 A JP 2004-23799 A JP 2000-148771 A

  In the method described above, content graspability is enhanced by extracting and displaying a plurality of still images from one video. However, in such a method, the size (or resolution) of the display area (for example, a display unit such as a display) becomes a problem. This is because the displayed still image needs to have a size that does not hinder grasping of the contents, and thus the number that can be arranged on the display area is limited. That is, when a large number of still images are extracted from one video, the number of videos that can be displayed at a time is reduced, and efficient content grasping of a plurality of videos is hindered. Conversely, if the number of still images extracted from one video is reduced, a large number of videos can be displayed at one time, but a sufficient number of still images cannot be extracted from each video.

  In addition, by selecting a thumbnail, a method of reproducing the video from which the thumbnail is extracted or switching to another thumbnail extracted from the video from which the thumbnail is extracted is also used. In this case, the reproduction process does not consider simultaneous reproduction of a plurality of videos, and does not facilitate grasping of the plurality of videos.

  According to some aspects of the present invention, a video playback device that facilitates grasping the contents of a plurality of acquired videos by generating a plurality of playback videos of a predetermined time or less from a plurality of acquired videos and simultaneously playing them. , A program, a video reproduction method, a server system, and the like can be provided.

  One aspect of the present invention is an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of acquired videos, a generation unit that performs processing on the acquired plurality of acquired videos to generate a plurality of playback videos, and the plurality of generated playbacks A playback unit that performs a simultaneous playback process of video, and the generation unit performs a playback time change process on the acquired video as the processing process, with a playback time being a predetermined time or less, The present invention relates to a video playback device that generates a playback video.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the video playback device performs a playback time change process on the acquired video to generate a playback video of a predetermined time or less, and performs a simultaneous playback process on the plurality of generated playback videos. As a result, videos based on a plurality of acquired videos are played back at the same time, and an upper limit is set for the playback time. Therefore, it is possible to easily grasp the contents of a plurality of acquired videos without taking a long time. Become.

  In the aspect of the invention, the generation unit may include a first playback time change process for extracting a part of the frame images included in the acquired video, and a playback frame rate of the acquired video. The reproduction video may be generated by performing at least one of the second reproduction time changing processes to be changed as the reproduction time changing process.

  As a result, it is possible to perform at least one of a frame image extraction process or a reproduction frame rate change process as the reproduction process.

  In the aspect of the invention, the generation unit may arrange the reproduction times of the plurality of reproduction videos by making a difference between the reproduction times of the plurality of reproduction videos smaller than a given threshold. The reproduction time changing process may be executed.

  This makes it possible to align the playback times of a plurality of generated playback videos.

  In one aspect of the present invention, when the number of reference frame images is s (s is an integer) and the given frame number threshold value is t (t is an integer), the generation unit is configured from a plurality of the acquired videos. A plurality of playback videos with the same playback time may be generated by performing the first playback time change process for extracting the number of frame images whose difference from s is equal to or less than t.

  As a result, it is possible to perform the frame image extraction process to align the playback times of a plurality of playback videos.

  In the aspect of the invention, the generation unit may further increase the playback frame rate when the number of frame images included in the acquired video is large than when the number of frame images included in the acquired video is small. By performing the second playback time changing process for increasing the playback time, a plurality of playback videos having the same playback time may be generated.

  As a result, it is possible to perform the playback frame rate changing process to align the playback times of a plurality of playback videos.

  In the aspect of the invention, the generation unit performs the first reproduction time change process for extracting a part of the frame images from the plurality of acquired videos, and generates a plurality of intermediate videos. When the number of frame images included in the intermediate video is larger than the number of frame images included in the intermediate video, the second playback frame rate is increased compared to the case where the number of frame images included in the intermediate video is small. A plurality of playback videos having the same playback time may be generated by performing the playback time changing process to generate the plurality of playback videos.

  This makes it possible to align the playback times of a plurality of playback videos by combining frame image extraction processing and playback frame rate change processing.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the reproduction time of the first reproduction video acquired by performing the reproduction time change process on the first acquisition video is T1, and the second acquisition video is When the playback time of the second playback video acquired by performing the playback time changing process is T2, the generation unit is k1 × T1 and k2 × T2 (k1 and k2 are integers of 1 or more) The reproduction time changing process for making the difference of) smaller than a given threshold value may be executed.

  As a result, when repeated playback is performed, it is possible to perform a playback time change process that aligns the total playback time of each playback video.

  In the aspect of the invention, the generation unit may reproduce the reproduction video based on at least one of scene change information of the acquired video, subject information captured in the acquired video, and user input information. The given time that is the upper limit of the time may be set.

  This makes it possible to set an upper limit for the playback time of the playback video based on scene change information, subject information, user input information, and the like.

  In the aspect of the invention, the generation unit may increase the given time that is the upper limit of the playback time of the playback video as the number of scene changes of the acquired video represented by the scene change information increases. It may be set longer.

  This makes it possible to set the upper limit of the playback time of the playback video based on the number of scene changes.

  In the aspect of the invention, the generation unit may increase the given time that is the upper limit of the playback time of the playback video as the number of subjects in the acquired video represented by the subject information increases. It may be set.

  This makes it possible to set an upper limit for the playback time of the playback video based on the number of subjects in the acquired video.

  In the aspect of the invention, the generation unit sets the processing content of the playback time change processing, and the playback of the acquired video based on the processing content set by the setting unit. A creation unit that performs time change processing to generate the playback video.

  As a result, it becomes possible to set the processing contents and generate the playback video step by step.

  In the aspect of the invention, the generation unit may store the setting information in the setting unit or the playback video generated by the creation unit when an instruction to stop the work is input by the user. A selection unit that performs a process of selecting whether or not to perform may be included.

  As a result, it is possible to select information stored when the work is interrupted.

  In the aspect of the invention, the generation unit may include the setting content in the setting unit and the playback video generated in the creation unit when the interruption instruction of the work by the user is input. A storage unit that stores information selected by the selection unit; and a reading unit that performs a process of reading the information stored in the storage unit when an instruction to resume the work is input. .

  As a result, the selected information is saved and read as necessary, thereby enabling efficient restoration of the working state.

  In the aspect of the invention, the playback unit may start the playback of the plurality of playback videos by making a difference in playback start timing of each of the plurality of playback videos smaller than a given start timing threshold. You may perform the reproduction | regeneration processing which arranges timing.

  This makes it possible to align the playback start timings of a plurality of playback videos.

  In the aspect of the invention, the reproduction unit may make the difference between the reproduction end timings of the plurality of reproduction videos smaller than a given end timing threshold, thereby causing the reproduction end of the plurality of reproduction videos. You may perform the reproduction | regeneration processing which arranges timing.

  This makes it possible to align the playback end timings of a plurality of playback videos.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the playback unit includes the playback time of the playback video, the playback time of the acquired video corresponding to the playback video, and acquisition time information of the acquired video corresponding to the playback video. Based on at least one of the above, arrangement information on a display screen of a plurality of the reproduced videos to be reproduced simultaneously may be set.

  This makes it possible to change the arrangement or the like of each playback video on the display screen based on the playback time and acquisition time information.

  In the aspect of the invention, the playback unit may include a plurality of the playback times of the playback video or the playback time of the acquired video corresponding to the playback video in a monotonically increasing or decreasing order. A sorting process for rearranging the reproduced video may be performed, and at least one of the arrangement reference position and the video size on the display screen may be set as the arrangement information based on the result of the sorting process.

  As a result, after sorting the playback video based on the playback time, it is possible to change the arrangement of the playback video on the display screen based on the sort processing.

  In one aspect of the present invention, an input receiving unit that receives input from a user is included, and when the input receiving unit receives a simultaneous operation instruction from the user, the playback unit At least one of the simultaneous reproduction process, the simultaneous fast-forward process, the simultaneous rewind process, and the simultaneous stop process may be performed.

  As a result, it is possible to realize an interface for performing an operation instruction for a plurality of reproduced videos.

  In the aspect of the invention, when the input reception unit receives a setting instruction for the given time from the user, the generation unit performs the reproduction video at a time specified by the setting instruction. The given time that is the upper limit of the playback time may be set.

  This makes it possible to set an upper limit for the playback time of the playback video based on user input information via the interface.

  Another aspect of the present invention relates to a program that causes a computer to function as each of the above-described units.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of acquired videos are acquired, a plurality of acquired videos are processed to generate a plurality of playback videos, and the generated playback videos are simultaneously reproduced. The processing is related to a video playback method which is a playback time change process for setting the playback time for the acquired video to be a given time or less.

  Another aspect of the present invention includes: a reception processing unit that receives a plurality of acquired videos via a network; a generation unit that performs processing on the acquired plurality of acquired videos to generate a plurality of reproduced videos; and a terminal A reproduction unit that performs reproduction processing for simultaneously reproducing a plurality of reproduction videos, and a transmission processing unit that transmits the plurality of reproduction videos to the terminal, wherein the generation unit has a reproduction time equal to or less than a given time. It is related to the server system which produces | generates the said reproduction | regeneration image | video by performing the reproduction time change process to perform with respect to the said acquired image | video as said process process.

Explanatory drawing of a conventional method. The figure explaining the relationship between the size of a display area, the number of images to be displayed, and the number of still images extracted from each image. The system structural example of a video reproduction apparatus. The structural example of a production | generation part. The figure explaining the reproduction time change process with respect to the acquisition image | video of 1st Embodiment. The example of the reproduction | regeneration image | video of 1st Embodiment. Example of display screen. Another example of the display screen. Another example of the display screen. Another example of the display screen. A configuration example of a server system. The figure explaining the reproduction time change process with respect to the acquisition image | video of 2nd Embodiment. The example of the reproduction | regeneration image | video of 2nd Embodiment. The other figure explaining the reproduction time change process with respect to the acquisition image | video of 2nd Embodiment. The other example of the reproduction | regeneration image | video of 2nd Embodiment. The other example of the reproduction | regeneration image | video of 2nd Embodiment. The other example of the reproduction | regeneration image | video of 2nd Embodiment. An example of aligning playback start timing by repeated playback. The example of the acquisition image | video of 3rd Embodiment. The example of the reproduction | regeneration image | video of 3rd Embodiment. FIG. 21A to FIG. 21C are diagrams for explaining reproduction time change processing according to the fourth embodiment.

  Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described. In addition, this embodiment demonstrated below does not unduly limit the content of this invention described in the claim. In addition, all the configurations described in the present embodiment are not necessarily essential configuration requirements of the present invention.

1. First, the method of this embodiment will be described. As shown in Patent Documents 1 to 4, a method for extracting a plurality of thumbnails (still images) from a video and displaying the extracted still images side by side in order to grasp the content of the video is known. For example, the method shown in FIG. 1 may be used, and by doing so, it becomes easier to grasp the content than when a video is represented by a single still image.

  However, when trying to efficiently grasp the contents of a plurality of videos (which may be originally different videos or may be obtained by dividing one long-time video into a plurality of videos), one video If a plurality of still images are extracted from the image, problems may occur depending on the size and resolution of the display area.

  If the number of pixels used to display one still image is small, or if the size per pixel (for example, the size of the display element) is small even if the number of pixels is large, the displayed image will be crushed. It becomes difficult to grasp the contents. That is, the number of still images that can be displayed in the display area at a time is limited depending on the size, resolution, and the like of the display area (display or the like). Therefore, in the method of extracting and arranging a plurality of still images from one video, the number of still images that can be extracted from one video or the number of videos that can be displayed at a time is limited.

  A specific example is shown using FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, in the case where the number of images that can be displayed at a time due to constraints such as size is 16 images, the number of images to be displayed simultaneously is a. When the number of images (for example, the average number) is b, a × b ≦ 16 needs to be satisfied. If a is increased, b will inevitably decrease. For example, if a = 8, then b = 2, and only two still images can be extracted per video. If the number of still images to be extracted is small, it is not preferable because the contents cannot be easily grasped. Conversely, if b is increased, a becomes smaller and the content grasping efficiency decreases. For example, if b = 16, 16 still images can be extracted from one video and displayed side by side, so that the content graspability of the video is enhanced. However, the number of videos that can be displayed at one time is one, and in order to grasp the contents of a plurality of videos, processing such as screen switching is required, which is inefficient.

  These problems are caused by the fact that the amount of information that can be presented at one time is reduced because it is assumed that still images are displayed, although the display area is limited. Patent Document 3 also discloses a method of playing back a video from which a selected thumbnail is extracted (displaying a moving image) when a thumbnail is selected. In this way, within a given display area. The amount of information that can be presented can be increased. However, the playback process at that time does not consider simultaneous playback, etc., and in order to grasp the contents of the video, it was necessary to actually play and view it (in the first place, a technique of representing with a still image is required) E) Not responding to issues.

  Therefore, the present applicant proposes a method of performing a reproduction time change process on each of a plurality of acquired videos to generate a plurality of playback videos and simultaneously playing the generated plurality of playback videos. Specifically, when the acquired videos A1 to A4 are acquired as shown in FIG. 5, the playback time changing process is performed for each to generate the reproduced videos B1 to B4 as shown in FIG. Then, the generated reproduction videos B1 to B4 are reproduced side by side as shown in FIG. At this time, the reproduced video is generated so as to be within a given upper limit time. In this way, since a display area having a certain size and resolution is ensured for each video and a moving image is reproduced in the area (or a slide show of still images may be performed) It is possible to provide sufficient information for grasping the contents of each video. Furthermore, since an upper limit (for example, several seconds to several tens of seconds, which may be longer in some cases) is set for the reproduction time of the reproduced video, the time required for grasping the contents can also be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, the first to fourth embodiments will be described in detail. In the first embodiment, a basic configuration and processing contents of a video playback device will be described. In the second to fourth embodiments, examples in which the playback times of a plurality of playback videos are aligned will be described. In the second embodiment, an example in which frame image extraction processing is performed as the playback time change processing will be described. In the third embodiment, an example in which playback frame rate change processing is performed as the playback time change processing will be described. In the fourth embodiment, an example in which frame image extraction processing and playback frame rate change processing are used together will be described.

2. First Embodiment A first embodiment will be described. Specifically, after describing an example of the system configuration of the video playback device, the playback time changing process performed by the generation unit will be described, and then an example of the playback process performed by the playback unit will be described. A configuration of the generation unit and a modification of the reproduction process in the reproduction unit will also be described.

2.1 System Configuration Example FIG. 3 shows a system configuration example of the video playback apparatus of this embodiment. The video playback device includes an acquisition unit 100, a generation unit 200, and a playback unit 300. However, the video reproduction apparatus is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, and various modifications such as omitting some of these components or adding other components are possible.

  The acquisition unit 100 acquires a plurality of acquired videos. Here, the acquired video may be a video captured by an imaging device such as a digital camera. Although it is assumed that the imaging device and the like are provided separately from the video playback device of the present embodiment, the video playback device may include an imaging unit and the video captured by the imaging unit may be used as the acquired video. . Further, the acquisition unit 100 may have an imaging timing and an acquisition timing that are very close as in the case of acquiring a live video from a plurality of monitoring camera videos, or at a past time point that is separated in time. You may acquire the imaged image | video.

  The generation unit 200 performs a playback time change process on each of the plurality of acquired videos acquired by the acquisition unit 100, and generates a plurality of playback videos whose playback time is equal to or less than a given time. Specific processing will be described later.

  The playback unit 300 performs simultaneous playback processing of a plurality of playback videos generated by the generation unit 200. Note that the term “simultaneous playback” in this specification indicates that both a first video and a second video different from the first video are in a playback state at a given timing. is there. Therefore, when simultaneous playback processing is performed, it is not necessary that all of the plurality of playback videos are in a playback state at a given timing, and the playback start timing and playback end timing of the plurality of playback videos are not necessarily aligned. Absent. Specific playback processing in the playback unit will be described later.

2.2 Generation Unit Next, a reproduction time change process in the generation unit 200 of this embodiment will be described. A specific configuration example of the generation unit 200 is shown in FIG. The generation unit 200 includes a setting unit 210, a creation unit 220, a selection unit 230, a storage unit 240 (storage unit), and a reading unit 250. However, the generation unit 200 is not limited to the configuration in FIG. 4, and various modifications such as omitting some of these components or adding other components are possible. For example, the selection unit 230, the storage unit 240, and the reading unit 250 may be omitted if work interruption or reuse of generated / used information is not considered.

  The setting unit 210 determines the processing content of the playback time change process performed on the acquired video. In the present embodiment, a setting is made such that a process of extracting a part of frame images (particularly continuous frame images) from the acquired video is performed as a reproduction time change process. Here, the frame image represents each of the still images constituting the video (moving image). At the same time, the upper limit value of the playback time of the playback video is set. As this upper limit value, a value set at the time of shipment of the video reproduction apparatus or the like may be used as it is, or a value input by the user may be used. Or you may set based on the information obtained from an acquisition image | video like scene change information or the to-be-photographed object information. When using the scene change information, for example, a method of increasing the upper limit value as the number of scene changes of the acquired video is increased may be used. Further, when using subject information, the number of times a specific subject has been imaged (for example, the number of times a specific person has been imaged, or the total number of times a person has been imaged without specifying an individual may be added). A method may be used in which the upper limit is increased as the number increases. When the frame image extraction process is performed as the reproduction time change process, the upper limit value of the number of frame images to be extracted is determined according to the upper limit value of the reproduction time.

  There are many conventional techniques for determining which frame image is specifically extracted from a plurality of frame images of the acquired video. Various methods such as using a scene change point that is a scene-to-scene change or using importance, interest, etc. set according to a given standard are conceivable. In this respect, this embodiment is an arbitrary method. Can be applied, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The creation unit 220 performs playback time change processing on the acquired video according to the processing content set by the setting unit 210 to generate a playback video. Specific examples of processing results are shown in FIGS. As described above, in this embodiment, the setting unit 210 extracts continuous frame images of a given number (a value set based on the upper limit value of the reproduction time, which is 3 in the example of FIG. 6) or less. Settings are made. Therefore, the creation unit 220 extracts three or less frame images from the acquired images A1 to A4 shown in FIG. 5, and generates reproduced videos B1 to B4 shown in FIG. In addition, B1 is produced | generated by the reproduction time change process with respect to A1, and A2 and B2, A3 and B3, and A4 and B4 correspond similarly. In this embodiment, an upper limit value for the number of extracted frame images is set. However, since there is no particular limitation on the lower limit value, a reproduced video having a smaller number of frame images than the upper limit value for the number of extracted frame images is generated. (B2 and B4 in FIG. 6).

  Through the above processing, a playback video can be generated. However, the generation unit 200 may perform other processing in consideration of the setting content in the setting unit 210 and the storage and reuse of the playback video output from the creation unit 220. This is because there is a possibility that the reproduced video once generated may be used again later. Specifically, a case where the user's work (simple content grasping or other work based on the content grasping, for example, video editing work) is interrupted may be considered. Here, the interruption may be that the video playback device itself stops operating, or may be shifted to playback processing of another playback video. In this case, the reproduced video that has been reproduced before the interruption is likely to be used again when the work is resumed, so it is preferable to store the reproduced video without deleting it. In this way, it is possible to start the reproduction process at a high speed when the work is resumed. However, although it is assumed that the playback video is relatively short in time, the amount of data is large because it becomes moving image data (or a plurality of still image data), and if all the data is stored, the storage area is compressed. .

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, not all the playback video is stored, but a part of the playback video is deleted to reduce the storage area required for storage. At that time, the setting information (information representing the processing content set by the setting unit 210) used for generating the playback video to be deleted is stored. In this way, by performing the playback time change process on the acquired video based on the setting information, it is possible to generate a playback video corresponding to the deleted playback video (matching in a narrow sense). There will be no hindrance. Furthermore, since the setting information is assumed to be expressed by a predetermined parameter or the like, the data amount is sufficiently smaller than the reproduced video itself. However, as long as the replay time changing process is required again, it takes time to resume the replay as compared with the case of storing the replayed video.

  From the above, in this embodiment, an appropriate storage method is selected in consideration of the amount of data to be stored, the processing load at the time of resuming reproduction, the processing time, and the like. Specifically, the selection unit 230 in FIG. 4 determines whether to save the playback video itself generated by the creation unit 220 when a given playback video is to be stored, or the setting information in the setting unit 210 Select whether to save. There are various possible selection methods. For example, the possibility that the playback video will be subject to playback processing again is determined by some method, the playback video is saved if it is highly likely, and the setting information is stored if the possibility is low. A selection process of saving may be performed.

  The storage unit 240 stores the information selected by the selection unit 230. The reading unit 250 reads and outputs the information stored in the storage unit 240 when the playback video that is to be stored becomes necessary again. When the playback video is stored in the storage unit 240, the playback video may be output. When the setting information is stored, the setting information is output. When the setting information is output from the reading unit 250, the creation unit 220 performs a process of generating a reproduction video again based on the setting information and the acquired video.

2.3 Playback Unit Next, an example of playback processing in the playback unit 300 will be described. FIG. 7 shows an example of a playback screen displayed on the display unit. By the reproduction process (display control) in the reproduction unit 300, the screen in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display unit. In the present embodiment, the display unit may be included in the video playback device, or provided separately from the video playback device, and performs display based on the output signal from the playback unit 300. May be.

  In the present embodiment, a display area is provided for each of a plurality of playback videos (corresponding to 1 to 4 in FIG. 7 when the playback videos are B1 to B4 in FIG. 3), and by playback processing in the playback unit 300, Multiple playback videos are played back simultaneously. In this way, it is possible to display a large number of videos at the same time, using a sufficiently large area for one image, and to efficiently grasp the contents of a plurality of videos. .

  Here, even if a plurality of playback images have the same playback start timing (start playback at the same time in a narrow sense) or the same playback end timing (playback ends in a narrow sense at the same time) Good but not limited to it. However, as described above, there is an upper limit on the playback time of the playback video, so that all video playback has been completed at the latest after the upper limit time has elapsed from the start of playback of the last playback video. Will be guaranteed. That is, it is possible to suppress the possibility that a long playback time is required for grasping the content of the video.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since it is assumed that a plurality of videos are reproduced simultaneously, an interface may be provided for efficient operation and content grasping in that case. For example, an interface for playback, stop, fast forward, rewind, etc. widely used in video playback (buttons corresponding to each in a narrow sense) may be provided for each video, but targets a plurality of videos. You may provide what you did. In the example of FIG. 7, one button for playback or the like is provided at the bottom of the screen, and when a given button is pressed, an operation corresponding to the button is performed on all the images. For example, when the stop button is pressed, the stop process is performed on all of the reproduced videos B1 to B4 reproduced in the display areas 1 to 4.

  However, this does not prevent the individual operation of each playback video. For example, when the mouse cursor (pointing device in a broad sense) is moved over the display area, the playback video corresponding to the display area is displayed. A button for performing an operation instruction on the button may be displayed. As another example of the individual operation, the size of the display area corresponding to the position of the mouse cursor may be enlarged as shown in FIG. This is because if one of the plurality of reproduced videos is focused on, it will help the user to understand the contents by making it easier to view the video.

  Various modifications can be made to the arrangement of the display area of each playback video on the display screen. As an example, the arrangement may be changed according to the playback time of the playback video. For example, the playback videos are sorted in order from the longest playback time, and the arrangement on the display screen is determined according to the sorting result. If the playback time is longer at the upper left of the screen (corresponding to 1 in FIG. 7) and the playback time is shorter at the lower right (corresponding to 4 in FIG. 7), the playback ends first from the lower right. It is assumed that At this time, the user first watches the video while paying attention to the entire screen, but since the reproduction ends first from the lower right, it is possible to narrow the region of interest in the upper left direction. That is, as compared with the case where the reproduction times are arranged at random, it is possible to efficiently narrow the region to be noticed, so that it is possible to reduce the burden on the user when viewing the video.

  Further, sorting may be performed based on the playback time of the acquired video that is the source of the playback video. This is because the playback time of the playback video and the playback time of the acquired video that is the basis thereof do not necessarily have a correspondence relationship (for example, unless such setting is performed in the setting unit 210). That is, there is a possibility that the length of the acquired video cannot be easily grasped from the display screen viewed by the user. By sorting the playback video according to the playback time of the acquired video and determining the arrangement on the display screen according to the sorting result, the length of the playback time of the acquired video is presented to the user in an easily understandable manner on the display screen It becomes possible. Note that the change of the arrangement based on the sorting result is not limited to the change of the position, but may change the size of the display area. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the longer the playback time of the acquired video, the larger the display area of the corresponding playback video, the more information related to the playback time of the acquired video can be presented to the user. It is. In the example of FIG. 9, the playback time of the playback video corresponding to the display area 3 is long, and the playback time of the playback video corresponding to the display area 2 is short.

  Similarly, the information may be presented to the user by sorting the playback videos based on information that cannot be confirmed by the user unless a given operation is performed. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the playback video may be sorted based on information related to the imaging date / time of the acquired video (or the acquisition date / time at the acquisition unit 100).

  In addition, various modifications can be made to the reproduction process in the reproduction unit 300.

  In addition, the present embodiment described above may be realized by a server system that transmits and receives information via a network. FIG. 11 shows a configuration example of the server system. The server system 20 includes a reception processing unit 110, a generation unit 200, a reproduction unit 300, and a transmission processing unit 400. The server system is connected to a terminal device (10-1 or the like) via the network 30. The server system 20 is not limited to one configured from one server, and may be configured from a plurality of servers. In that case, the plurality of servers do not need to be physically located close to each other, and may be connected to each other via a network 30 such as the Internet.

  For example, the server system 20 receives a plurality of videos from the terminal device via the network 30 in the reception processing unit 110. Then, the generation unit 200 performs the reproduction time change process described above to generate a reproduction video. It is assumed that the playback unit 300 of the server system 20 does not perform playback by the server system 20 itself, but generates control information for simultaneous playback in the terminal device. The transmission processing unit 400 transmits the generated plurality of playback videos and the playback control information generated by the playback unit 300 as necessary to the terminal device. On the terminal device side, simultaneous playback processing of a plurality of playback videos sent from the server system 20 is performed.

  The acquired video to be processed is not limited to that received from the terminal device, and may be received from another server (video management server or the like), for example. When the above-described processing is performed in the server system 20, it is not necessary to perform the processing in a terminal device (assuming a device such as a mobile phone). Therefore, the present invention is effective when the processing capability of the terminal device itself is low, or when simultaneous playback processing of the generated playback video is performed by a plurality of terminal devices.

  In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the video playback apparatus generates a plurality of playback videos by processing the acquisition unit 100 that acquires a plurality of acquired videos and the plurality of acquired videos. And a playback unit 300 that performs simultaneous playback processing of the generated playback videos. Then, the generation unit 200 generates a playback video by performing a playback time change process that sets the playback time to a given time or less on the acquired video as the processing process.

  Here, the simultaneous playback process represents a process in which a plurality of playback videos are set to a playback state at a given timing as described above. However, the playback unit 300 of the present embodiment may perform playback processing other than the simultaneous playback processing (for example, playback processing of a single video performed by a normal playback device).

  Thereby, when a plurality of videos are acquired, it is possible to generate videos (playback videos) whose playback times are equal to or less than a given time from the videos and play them simultaneously. Considering that there are usually restrictions on the display area of the display unit and the like, and there is a limit to the angle of view that the user can grasp at one time even without such restrictions, some extent at a time within a limited range The method of the present embodiment that can present information on the number of acquired videos and increase the amount of information about each video is very useful. In particular, since there is an upper limit for the playback time of the playback video, it is possible to limit the time required for the end of playback of all playback videos, and it is possible to grasp the contents of many videos in a relatively short time. It becomes possible.

  The generation unit 200 also extracts a first playback time change process for extracting a part of the frame images included in the acquired video, and a second playback time change process for changing the playback frame rate of the acquired video. At least one of these processes may be performed as a reproduction time change process to generate a reproduced video.

  Accordingly, the playback video is changed from the acquired video by changing the playback time by at least one of the first playback time change process (frame image extraction process) and the second playback time change process (playback frame rate change process). Can be generated. In this embodiment and a second embodiment described later, a frame image extraction process is performed, and in the third embodiment, a playback frame rate changing process is performed. In the fourth embodiment to be described later, both the first and second reproduction time changing processes are performed. Assuming that the playback time of the playback video is the same, when performing the frame image extraction process, the playback video has a smaller number of frame images than the acquired video, so the playback time per frame image is the playback frame. This can be made longer than when the rate changing process is performed, and the user can easily view (and grasp the contents of the displayed frame image). Note that in the frame image extraction process, only a part of the frame image of the acquired video is included in the playback video, so it may be difficult to grasp the content of the acquired video unless the frame image to be extracted is properly selected. It should be noted that there is a certain point, but an arbitrary method can be applied to this point, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  Further, the generation unit 200 determines the given time that is the upper limit of the playback time of the playback video based on at least one of the scene change information of the acquired video, the subject information captured in the acquired video, and the user input information. It may be set. For example, the given time may be set longer as the number of scene changes in the acquired video represented by the scene change information increases. Alternatively, the given time may be set longer as the number of subjects in the acquired video represented by the subject information increases.

  Thereby, it becomes possible to set the upper limit value of the reproduction time by various methods. If all the playback videos start to play simultaneously, all playback videos will start from the start time, otherwise all playback videos will start after the time corresponding to the set upper limit from the start of playback of the last playback video. Will end once. That is, when an upper limit is set based on user input information (information input from the user via an interface such as an operation unit), the time for the user to grasp the content of the acquired video is input. In this case, an upper limit value appropriately reflecting the user's intention can be set. In addition, a scene change, which is a change between scenes, is highly likely to be a part that well represents the characteristics of the video. Since such a characteristic part is useful for grasping the contents of the video, if a frame image extraction process is performed, it is desired to extract it to the reproduced video as much as possible. Therefore, when the number of scene changes is large, the upper limit of the reproduction time is increased and the number of frame images to be extracted is increased. If the playback frame rate changing process is performed, it is assumed that all the frame images of the acquired video are used. Even in this case, the playback frame is longer when the playback time is shorter than when the playback time is shorter. The rate can be lowered, and the display time per frame image becomes longer. If there are many characteristic portions, there are many frame images to be observed firmly. Therefore, even when the playback frame rate changing process is performed, the upper limit value of the playback time may be increased if the number of scene changes is large. Similarly, since a scene where a specific subject is captured may be a characteristic part of the video, the upper limit of the playback time is determined from information such as the number of subjects and whether or not the subject is captured. The value may be determined.

  Further, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the generation unit 200 sets the processing content of the playback time change process, and the playback time for the acquired video based on the processing content set by the setting unit 210. It may also include a creation unit 220 that performs a change process and generates a playback video.

  Thereby, it is possible to divide the processing in the generation unit 200 and execute it in stages.

  In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the generation unit 200 stores the setting content in the setting unit 210 or the playback video generated by the generation unit 220 when an instruction to suspend work is input by the user. A selection unit 230 that performs a process of selecting whether to perform the process may be included.

  Here, the work is a content grasping work of a plurality of acquired videos by the user (or may be a video editing work based on the content grasping), and the work interruption instruction is given to, for example, an input receiving unit described later This is done based on user input.

  As a result, when the current processing is interrupted and the processing content up to that point is temporarily saved in the storage area, the playback video itself is stored, or setting information indicating the processing content of the playback time change processing is stored. It becomes possible to select. Saving the reproduced video has an advantage that the state before the interruption can be restored at a high speed when the reproduction process is resumed, and saving the setting information has an advantage that a storage area required for saving the processing contents can be reduced. That is, a more desirable one is selected according to the resource of the video playback device.

  In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the generation unit 200 is selected by the selection unit 230 from the setting content in the setting unit and the playback video generated by the creation unit when a work interruption instruction is input. A storage unit 240 that stores the information, and a reading unit 250 that performs a process of reading the information stored in the storage unit 240 when a work resumption instruction is input.

  As a result, the information indicating the actual work state can be temporarily saved and then read again as necessary to restore the work state.

  Further, the playback unit 300 may perform a playback process that aligns the playback start timings of a plurality of playback videos by making the difference in playback start timings of the plurality of playback videos smaller than a given start timing threshold. . Alternatively, the playback unit 300 may perform a playback process that aligns the playback end timings of a plurality of playback videos by making the difference between the playback end timings of the plurality of playback videos smaller than a given end timing threshold. .

  This makes it possible to align at least one of the reproduction start timing and the reproduction end timing. Note that in the present embodiment, “align” means that the difference in timing is not more than a given threshold as described above, and does not need to be completely matched. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 4, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that there are a plurality of display areas in the display screen. However, the user should pay attention to a portion in the reproduction state. In that case, if the start and end are not complete, some have started playing but others have not started, or some are still playing but others have already finished playing. Naturally, the number of times that the range to which the user should pay attention changes increases, which is not preferable for grasping the content of the video. Therefore, it is preferable to grasp at least one of the start timing and the end timing. In the case of aligning both, it is necessary to align the playback time of each playback video as described in the second to fourth embodiments.

  Further, the playback unit 300 performs a plurality of playbacks to be played back simultaneously based on at least one of playback time of playback video, playback time of acquired video corresponding to the playback video, and acquisition time information of acquisition video corresponding to the playback video The arrangement information on the video display screen may be set. Specifically, the playback unit 300 performs a sorting process to rearrange a plurality of playback videos in the order in which the playback time of the playback video or the playback time of the acquired video corresponding to the playback video monotonously increases or decreases monotonously. Based on the result of the sorting process, at least one of the arrangement reference position and the video size on the display screen may be set as the arrangement information.

  Here, the arrangement reference position represents the position of the display area (corresponding to each of 1 to 4 in FIG. 7) on the display screen. For example, the upper left point of each display area is set on the display screen. This indicates which coordinate corresponds to the coordinate system defined. The video size is the shape of the display area (basically a rectangle with an aspect ratio of 16: 9 or 4: 3) and its size (the number of pixels in the vertical direction, the number of pixels in the horizontal direction, etc.). Is expressed.

  This makes it possible to change the arrangement or the like of each playback video on the display screen based on various information. In particular, since it is difficult to grasp information such as the reproduction time and the acquisition time only by reproducing the reproduction video, it is useful to make it intuitively graspable from the reproduction screen. For example, the size of each display area may be varied as shown in FIG. 9, or may be sorted and arranged from the upper left direction to the lower right direction as shown in FIG. .

  In addition, the video reproduction device may include an input receiving unit that receives an input from the user. When the input receiving unit receives a simultaneous operation instruction from the user, the playback unit 300 performs at least one process of simultaneous playback processing, simultaneous fast-forward processing, simultaneous rewind processing, and simultaneous stop processing of a plurality of playback videos. May be performed. Alternatively, when the input receiving unit receives a setting instruction for a given time from the user, the generation unit 200 determines the given time that is the upper limit of the playback time of the playback video at the time indicated by the setting instruction. May be set.

  Here, the input receiving unit widely represents the interface of the video playback device. For example, it may represent a physically provided button, keyboard, or mouse, or may be displayed on the display screen as shown in the lower part of FIG. 7 (in this case, the operation is shown in FIG. 8). Or by touch detection if the display screen is a touch panel).

  Thereby, the process based on the information received by the input receiving unit is enabled. Particularly in playback processing, since this embodiment assumes simultaneous playback of a plurality of playback videos, instructions can be given to a plurality of playback videos by a single operation (for example, pressing a button once). Has advantages. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7 and the like, it is preferable to provide an interface for instructing playback, stop, etc. for all playback videos. Further, the input receiving unit may be used not only for an instruction relating to reproduction processing but also for an instruction relating to generation of reproduction video, for example, an instruction for setting an upper limit value of reproduction time.

  Note that the video playback apparatus or the like of the present embodiment may realize part or most of the processing by a program. In this case, the video reproduction apparatus of the present embodiment is realized by a processor such as a CPU executing a program. Specifically, a program stored in the information storage medium is read, and a processor such as a CPU executes the read program. Here, the information storage medium (computer-readable medium) stores programs, data, and the like, and functions as an optical disk (DVD, CD, etc.), HDD (hard disk drive), or memory (card type). It can be realized by memory, ROM, etc. A processor such as a CPU performs various processes of the present embodiment based on a program (data) stored in the information storage medium. That is, in the information storage medium, a program for causing a computer (an apparatus including an operation unit, a processing unit, a storage unit, and an output unit) to function as each unit of the present embodiment (a program for causing the computer to execute processing of each unit) Is memorized.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, a reception processing unit 110 that receives a plurality of acquired videos via a network, and a plurality of playbacks by performing processing on the acquired plurality of acquired videos A generation unit 200 that generates video, a playback unit 300 that performs playback processing for causing a terminal (10-1 or the like) to simultaneously playback a plurality of playback videos, and a transmission processing unit 400 that transmits a plurality of playback videos to the terminal. It can also be applied to server systems that include it. And the production | generation part 200 produces | generates a reproduction | regeneration image | video by performing the reproduction time change process which makes reproduction time below a predetermined time with respect to an acquisition image | video as said process.

  As a result, as described above with reference to FIG. 11, it is possible to realize a server system that executes the processing of this embodiment.

3. Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the reproduction time change processing (specifically, setting of the processing content in the setting unit 210) in the generation unit 200. Specifically, it is the same in that the frame image extraction process is performed as the reproduction time change process, but differs in that the reproduction times of all the reproduced videos are aligned to some extent. Hereinafter, four specific examples will be described. Note that the acquisition unit 100 and the playback unit 300 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

3.1 Continuous Frame Image Extraction First, continuous frame image extraction processing will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in that continuous frame images are extracted for each of the acquired videos C1 to C4. However, in this embodiment, not only the upper limit of the number of extracted frame images is set, but also the difference in the number of frame images of each reproduced video is set to be smaller than a given threshold value. This can be realized, for example, by setting the reference frame image number s and the frame image number threshold value t so that the difference between the number of frame images extracted from each reproduced video and s is equal to or less than t.

  In this case, as indicated by D1 to D4 in FIG. 13, the playback times of a plurality of playback videos are aligned to some extent (in the example of FIG. 13, they are in agreement). In other examples of the present embodiment, and in the third and fourth embodiments, a method for aligning the playback time will be described. However, in this way, the playback start timing and playback end timing in the simultaneous playback processing can be substantially aligned. Is possible. In other words, during playback, it is possible to prevent the playback of some playback video from starting or ending, so it is necessary for the user to change the region of interest in the display screen. Absent. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user to consider the situation in which only a part of the video is being played back, so that it is possible to reduce the burden when viewing the video. However, as described in the first embodiment, if it is determined that it is desired to pay attention to a specific video among a plurality of playback videos, processing such as playback of only the video may be performed. .

3.2 Extraction of discontinuous frame images The extracted frame images are not limited to continuous ones. 14 is similar in that a part of the frame images is extracted from each reproduced video and the difference in the number of frame images of each reproduced video is set to be smaller than a given threshold. As shown in E4, non-continuous frame images may be extracted. The reproduced video in this case is F1 to F4 in FIG.

  By not limiting the extracted frame images to continuous ones, it is possible to include frame images with greatly different frame image positions in the acquired video in the reproduced video. For example, if there are two frame images that are both characteristic but largely separated from each other, it is unlikely that both will be extracted in the continuous frame image extraction process, and the content graspability of the acquired video is considered. And may be undesirable. However, with this method, a characteristic frame image can be extracted regardless of the position of the frame image in the acquired video, so that the content graspability may be improved.

  However, when the discontinuous frame image extraction process is performed, it is necessary to consider the playback frame rate. With continuous frame image extraction processing, the playback video is basically a series of videos with little difference between each frame image (although there is a possibility of a scene change in the middle). no problem. For example, it may be similar to the frame rate at the time of recording (15 frames per second, 30 frames, etc.). However, in the discontinuous frame image extraction process, there is a high possibility that the imaging target differs greatly between the frame images. That is, if such a video is reproduced at a speed of 15 frames per second, it becomes difficult for the user to grasp the contents. Therefore, in this case, the playback frame rate may be lowered. Specifically, it is preferable to make the playback frame rate close to a slide show of still images (1 to 2 frames per second, etc.) rather than playback of moving images.

3.3 Black Frame Image Insertion In the stage of the frame image extraction process, an embodiment in which the number of extracted frame images is not uniform may be used. For example, regardless of whether the image is continuous or discontinuous, as shown in B1 to B4 in FIG. For a video having an extremely small number of frame images (for example, a video having the number of frame images smaller than s-t when the above-mentioned reference frame image number s and frame number threshold value t are considered), the condition of the number of frame images A black frame image is inserted to satisfy Specifically, among G1 to G4 in FIG. 16, black frame images are inserted as indicated by G2 and G4, and G1 to G4 after insertion are set as playback images. In this way, even if the number of extracted frame images is greatly different, the number of frame images included in the reproduced video can be made uniform (the difference in the number of frame images of each reproduced video is reduced).

  In this way, it is possible to prevent the content grasping from being hindered by including a non-characteristic frame image in the reproduced video. Further, when the playback video is played back repeatedly, the playback start timing and playback end timing can be aligned to some extent even in the second and subsequent playback.

3.4 Repetitive Playback Also, the number of extracted frame images is not uniform, and black frame images need not be inserted. However, when the reproduction is repeated a given number of times, the reproduction start timing and the reproduction end timing of all the reproduced videos are arranged to some extent.

  Specifically, when the playback times of N playback videos are T1 to TN, the difference between T1 and TN is not made equal to or less than a given threshold, but k1 × T1, k2 × T2, k3 × T3 ,... KN × TN (k1 to kN is an integer of 1 or more) is set to a predetermined threshold value or less.

  A specific example will be described with reference to the drawings. The playback times of H1 to H4 in FIG. 17 are 3 seconds for H1, 2 seconds for H2, 4 seconds for H3, and 1 second for H4 if the playback frame rate is 1 frame per second. If this is left as it is, the difference in the playback time of each playback video (particularly the playback time of H3 and H4) is large. However, as shown in FIG. 18, when H1 is played 4 times, H2 is played 6 times, H3 is played 3 times, and H4 is played 12 times, the total playback time of each playback video is 12 seconds. Will be prepared for the playback video. In other words, if it is premised on repeated reproduction, a method may be used in which the number of extracted frame images is not exactly the same.

  In addition, as long as the time corresponding to the least common multiple of the playback time of each playback video is taken, it is possible to align the timings in any combination of playback times. However, if the least common multiple is too large, the time required to align the timings becomes long, and the merit of the method of aligning the reproduction times described in the second embodiment is lost. Therefore, if the method of repeated playback is used effectively, the number of frame images to be extracted from each acquired video so that the combined playback time is such that the least common multiple of the playback times is smaller than a given common multiple threshold. It is preferable to provide a restriction on

  In the present embodiment described above, the generation unit 200 executes a playback time change process that aligns the playback times of a plurality of playback videos by making the difference between the playback times of the plurality of playback videos smaller than a given threshold. To do. For example, when the number of reference frame images is s (s is an integer) and the given frame number threshold is t (t is an integer), the generation unit 200 determines that the difference from s is t By performing the first playback time change process for extracting the following number of frame images, a plurality of playback videos with the same playback time can be generated.

  Here, the process of aligning the playback time is not limited to the process of matching the playback start timing and the like as well as the process of aligning the playback start timing. It is.

  This makes it possible to align the playback times of a plurality of playback videos. In particular, if the playback start timing is aligned, it is assumed that the playback end timing is also aligned. Therefore, at most timings during processing, all the playback videos are in the playback state or all playback videos are stopped (playback End) status. That is, since the change of the region to be noticed by the user (this corresponds to the change in the line-of-sight direction, etc.) is reduced, it is easy to grasp the content of the video.

  Also, the playback time of the first playback video acquired by performing the playback time change process on the first acquired video is T1, and the playback time of the second acquired video is acquired by performing the playback time change process. When the playback time of the second playback video is T2, the generation unit 200 makes the difference between k1 × T1 and k2 × T2 (k1 and k2 are integers of 1 or more) smaller than a given threshold value. You may perform a reproduction time change process.

  As a result, the processing shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 becomes possible. In this case, repeated playback may be performed, and playback time × number of repetitions may be aligned. Therefore, even if the playback time of each playback video is not the same, the same effect as when the playback time is the same can be expected.

4). Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, playback frame rate change processing is performed as playback time change processing. Note that the acquisition unit 100 and the reproduction unit 300 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The playback time of the video is determined by the number of frame images included in the video and the playback frame rate. For example, if there is a video having 90 frames, the playback time is 9 seconds if the playback frame rate is 10 frames per second, and the playback time is 3 seconds if the playback frame rate is 30 frames per second. In other words, even if the number of frame images included in the acquired video is greatly different, it is possible to arrange the playback time of the playback video to some extent by generating the playback video by appropriately changing the playback frame rate for each video. . Specifically, a playback time change process for increasing the playback frame rate is performed on an acquired video with a large number of frame images included, compared to an acquired video with a small number of frame images included.

  A specific example will be described with reference to the drawings. When I1 to I4 in FIG. 19 are acquired as acquired images, I3 has a large number of frame images and I2 has a small number of frame images. Therefore, by setting the playback frame rate of I3 to be larger than the playback frame rate of I2, the playback time of the playback video is aligned. As a result, the reproduced video to be generated becomes J1 to J4 in FIG. 20, and the reproduction time is aligned. Since the upper limit value for the playback time is the same as in the first embodiment, the playback frame rate is determined so that the playback time of J1 to J4 is less than or equal to the upper limit value of the playback time. become.

  In this way, since the playback time of the playback video can be aligned, the same effect as in the second embodiment can be obtained. In this embodiment, the larger the number of frame images of the acquired video, that is, the longer the playback time of the acquired video, the higher the playback frame rate. Therefore, the user can also grasp the length of the playback time of the acquired video based on the difference in playback speed.

  In the present embodiment described above, as in the second embodiment, the generation unit 200 reproduces a plurality of reproduced videos by making the difference between the reproduction times of the plurality of reproduced videos smaller than a given threshold. Execute playback time change processing to align the time. For example, when the number of frame images included in the acquired video is large, the generation unit 200 performs the second playback time change process for increasing the playback frame rate compared to the case where the number of frame images included in the acquired video is small. By performing the above, a plurality of playback videos having the same playback time may be generated.

  As a result, the processing shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 becomes possible. In this case, since all the frame images included in the acquired video are assumed to be included in the reproduced video, it is assumed that a characteristic frame image (effective for grasping the contents of the acquired video) is lost in the reproduced video. Can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the playback frame rate increases as the number of frame images included in the acquired video increases (that is, as the playback time of the acquired video increases), the playback time of the acquired video can be estimated from the playback speed.

5. Fourth Embodiment Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, both the frame image extraction process and the reproduction frame rate change process are performed as the reproduction time change process. Note that the acquisition unit 100 and the reproduction unit 300 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Specifically, a partial frame image is extracted from the acquired video to generate an intermediate video. The number of frame images included in the intermediate video (the number of frame images extracted from the acquired video) does not need to be aligned among the plurality of intermediate videos. Thereafter, a reproduction frame rate changing process is performed on the plurality of intermediate videos. At this time, as in the third embodiment, a playback time change process for increasing the playback frame rate is performed for an intermediate video including a large number of frame images compared to an intermediate video including a small number of frame images. Do.

  A specific example will be described with reference to the drawings. When K1 and K2 in FIG. 21A are acquired as acquired videos, a part of frame images is extracted from each to generate intermediate images L1 and L2 shown in FIG. Then, reproduction frame rate change processing is performed according to the number of frame images included in each of L1 and L2 (here, the reproduction frame rate of L1 is made higher than that of L2), and M1 and M2 in FIG. A final playback video is generated as shown. In FIG. 21A to FIG. 21C, the number of acquired images is two, but it goes without saying that it may be three or more.

  Also in this case, the same effect as the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment described above, as in the second embodiment, the generation unit 200 reproduces a plurality of reproduced videos by making the difference between the reproduction times of the plurality of reproduced videos smaller than a given threshold. Execute playback time change processing to align the time. For example, the generation unit 200 generates a plurality of intermediate videos by performing a first reproduction time change process for extracting a part of frame images from a plurality of acquired videos, and the intermediate videos are generated with respect to the plurality of intermediate videos. When the number of frame images included in the video is large, a second playback time change process is performed to increase the playback frame rate compared to the case where the number of frame images included in the intermediate video is small, thereby generating a plurality of playback videos By doing so, a plurality of playback videos having the same playback time may be generated.

  As a result, as shown in FIGS. 21A to 21C, it is possible to perform a reproduction time change process that combines both the frame image extraction process and the reproduction frame rate change process.

  As mentioned above, although four Embodiments 1-4 and its modification to which this invention was applied were demonstrated, this invention is not limited to each Embodiment 1-4 and its modification as it is, An implementation step The constituent elements can be modified and embodied without departing from the spirit of the invention. Moreover, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described first to fourth embodiments and modified examples. For example, you may delete a some component from all the components described in each Embodiment 1-4 and the modification. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component demonstrated in different embodiment and modification. In addition, a term described together with a different term having a broader meaning or the same meaning at least once in the specification or the drawings can be replaced with the different term anywhere in the specification or the drawings. Thus, various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

10 terminal devices, 20 server systems, 30 networks, 100 acquisition units,
110 reception processing unit, 200 generation unit, 210 setting unit, 220 creation unit,
230 selection unit, 240 storage unit, 250 reading unit, 300 playback unit,
400 Transmission processing unit

Claims (22)

An acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of acquired videos;
A processing unit that performs processing on the plurality of acquired videos and generates a plurality of playback videos;
A playback unit for performing simultaneous playback processing of the plurality of generated playback videos;
Including
The generator is
A video playback apparatus, wherein the playback video is generated by performing a playback time change process with a playback time equal to or less than a given time on the acquired video as the processing process. In claim 1,
The generator is
At least one of a first playback time changing process for extracting a part of the frame images included in the acquired video and a second playback time changing process for changing the playback frame rate of the acquired video Is performed as the reproduction time changing process to generate the reproduced video. In claim 2,
The generator is
The video is characterized in that the playback time change processing for aligning the playback times of the plurality of playback videos is executed by making a difference between the playback times of each of the plurality of playback videos smaller than a given threshold. Playback device. In claim 3,
When the number of reference frame images is s (s is an integer) and the given frame number threshold is t (t is an integer),
The generator is
By performing the first reproduction time change process for extracting a number of frame images each having a difference from s equal to or less than t from the plurality of acquired images, the plurality of reproduction images having the same reproduction time are obtained. An image reproducing apparatus characterized by generating. In claim 3,
The generator is
When the number of frame images included in the acquired video is large, the second playback time change process is performed to increase the playback frame rate compared to the case where the number of frame images included in the acquired video is small. And generating a plurality of the playback videos having the same playback time. In claim 3,
The generator is
A plurality of intermediate videos are generated by performing the first reproduction time change process for extracting a part of the frame images from the plurality of acquired videos,
When the number of frame images included in the intermediate video is large with respect to the plurality of intermediate videos, the playback frame rate is increased as compared with the case where the number of frame images included in the intermediate video is small. By performing the reproduction time change process of 2 and generating the plurality of reproduction videos,
A video playback apparatus that generates a plurality of the playback videos having the same playback time. In claim 1 or 2,
By setting the playback time of the first playback video acquired by performing the playback time change process on the first acquired video as T1, and performing the playback time change process on the second acquired video When the playback time of the acquired second playback video is T2,
The generator is
A video playback apparatus that executes the playback time changing process for making a difference between k1 × T1 and k2 × T2 (k1 and k2 are integers of 1 or more) smaller than a given threshold value. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 7,
The generator is
Setting the given time that is the upper limit of the playback time of the playback video based on at least one of scene change information of the acquired video, subject information captured in the acquisition video, and user input information A video playback device characterized by the above. In claim 8,
The generator is
The video playback apparatus characterized in that the given time, which is the upper limit of the playback time of the playback video, is set longer as the number of scene changes of the acquired video represented by the scene change information increases. In claim 8,
The generator is
The video playback apparatus characterized in that the given time that is the upper limit of the playback time of the playback video is set longer as the number of subjects in the acquired video represented by the subject information increases. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 10.
The generator is
A setting unit for setting the processing content of the playback time changing process;
Based on the processing content set by the setting unit, a creation unit that performs the playback time change process on the acquired video to generate the playback video;
A video reproducing apparatus comprising: In claim 11,
The generator is
A selection unit that performs a process of selecting whether to save the setting information in the setting unit or to save the playback video generated by the creation unit when an instruction to suspend work is input by the user; A featured video playback device. In claim 12,
The generator is
A storage unit that stores information selected by the selection unit among the setting content in the setting unit and the reproduced video generated by the creation unit when the user's interruption instruction for the work is input When,
A reading unit that performs a reading process of the information stored in the storage unit when an instruction to resume the work is input;
A video reproducing apparatus comprising: In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 13.
The playback unit
Video reproduction characterized by performing a reproduction process that aligns the reproduction start timings of the plurality of reproduction videos by making a difference in reproduction start timings of the plurality of reproduction videos smaller than a given start timing threshold apparatus. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 14.
The playback unit
Video reproduction characterized in that a reproduction process for aligning the reproduction end timings of a plurality of the reproduced videos is performed by making a difference between the reproduction end timings of the plurality of reproduced videos smaller than a given end timing threshold. apparatus. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 15,
The playback unit
A plurality of the simultaneous playback based on at least one of the playback time of the playback video, the playback time of the acquired video corresponding to the playback video, and acquisition time information of the acquired video corresponding to the playback video A video playback apparatus characterized in that arrangement information on a playback video display screen is set. In claim 16,
The playback unit
Performing a sorting process for rearranging a plurality of the playback videos in the order in which the playback time of the playback video or the playback time of the acquired video corresponding to the playback video monotonously increases or decreases monotonously;
An image reproducing apparatus, wherein at least one of an arrangement reference position and an image size on the display screen is set as the arrangement information based on a result of the sorting process. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 17,
Including an input receiving unit that receives input from the user;
When the input receiving unit receives a simultaneous operation instruction from the user,
The playback unit
An image playback apparatus that performs at least one of the simultaneous playback processing, simultaneous fast-forward processing, simultaneous rewind processing, and simultaneous stop processing of a plurality of the playback moving images. In claim 18,
When the input receiving unit receives an instruction to set the given time from the user,
The generator is
The video playback apparatus characterized in that the given time that is the upper limit of the playback time of the playback video is set at the time specified by the setting instruction. An acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of acquired videos;
A processing unit that performs processing on the plurality of acquired videos and generates a plurality of playback videos;
As a playback unit that performs simultaneous playback processing of the plurality of generated playback videos,
Make the computer work,
The generator is
A program characterized in that the playback video is generated by performing a playback time change process with a playback time equal to or less than a given time on the acquired video as the processing. Acquire multiple acquired videos,
Process the acquired plurality of acquired videos to generate a plurality of playback videos,
Performs simultaneous playback processing of the plurality of playback videos generated,
The video playback method according to claim 1, wherein the processing is a playback time change process for setting the playback time of the acquired video to a predetermined time or less. A reception processing unit for receiving a plurality of acquired videos via a network;
A processing unit that performs processing on the plurality of acquired videos and generates a plurality of playback videos;
A playback unit for performing a playback process for simultaneously playing a plurality of playback videos on the terminal;
A transmission processing unit for transmitting a plurality of the reproduced videos to the terminal;
Including
The generator is
A server system characterized in that the playback video is generated by performing a playback time change process with a playback time equal to or less than a given time on the acquired video as the processing process.

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