JP5144771B2 - Image processing apparatus, image reproducing apparatus, image recording apparatus, image processing method, image reproducing method, and image recording method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image processing device , an image playback device, an image recording device, an image processing method, an image playback method, and an image recording method , and more particularly to a technology of a device for playing back content data stored in a recording device. .

  Conventionally, as represented by a VTR device or the like, a content such as a television broadcast is recorded and displayed on a wired display or a content stored in a server device outside the home is connected to a network such as the Internet. There is a service that is distributed to a user's PC or the like.

  Many of these technologies record, transmit, and reproduce images and audio included in content using image encoding technologies such as MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 due to advances in digital technology. Therefore, in each device, an encoding method and encoding parameters corresponding to the viewing environment are used. In other words, when the transmission environment is wide, such as a display connected to the viewing environment by wire, recording is performed under a condition of low coding efficiency for recording with higher image quality. In addition, when the viewing environment is an environment where the transmission band is limited such as the Internet, recording is performed under a condition of high coding efficiency even with low image quality.

  This means that if a content with high image quality and low encoding efficiency is viewed in an environment where the transmission band is limited, it cannot be reproduced as expected by the user. On the other hand, when content with high encoding efficiency is viewed on a television or wired connection, it is often not satisfactory compared to a normal television image.

  In recent years, the spread of the Internet and the widening of the bandwidth have progressed, and the difference in bandwidth in the viewing environment has disappeared. For this reason, it is possible to view content encoded with high image quality even when viewed via the Internet. In addition, with the advancement of coding technology, a hierarchical coding technology has been proposed in which coding is performed separately for a low-quality basic layer and a high-quality upper layer (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This hierarchical encoding technique can transmit encoded data according to the transmission band and the performance of the user's viewing device by performing encoding separately according to image quality. From these factors, not only one viewing environment of either a wide band or a narrow band, but also devices and services that can handle a plurality of viewing environments are possible.

  Also, in these devices, when viewing the recorded content, if the user stops viewing in the middle, the information can be saved so that the next viewing can be resumed from where it stopped. A technique is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 2). This is because when the recording device side (service server side) stores user information including the position where playback is stopped, and when playback is stopped while viewing the content of the recording device installed at home, the user goes out. The same content can be viewed from the position where reproduction is stopped at home when the user is away from home.

JP 2001-186495 A JP 2003-174636 A

  However, when the user views the device on the go using a device such as a personal computer, in order to view the content recorded with high image quality (low coding rate) under the same conditions as when viewing the content at home, The conditions are often severe due to the environment and the performance of the equipment. Further, the hierarchical encoding technique described in Patent Document 1 is complicated in itself, and is not widely used in consumer devices.

  Further, in the invention described in Patent Document 2, reproduction stop information is managed for each content stored in the recording device. Therefore, when two encoded contents for high image quality and low image quality are accumulated in the recording apparatus from the contents before encoding, the information on the reproduction stop is individually managed. That is, the user decodes the high-quality content in a wide-band viewing environment such as a home and plays it on a television or the like, and after the playback is stopped, the continuation is performed in a narrow-band viewing environment such as a place where the user is out When decoding low-quality content and playing it on a PC or the like, it is inconvenient that the encoded data for low image quality needs to be newly replayed from the beginning because the continuation after the above-mentioned playback stop cannot be played on the go. It was.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances. In addition to viewing content stored and recorded on a television broadcast program on a television or the like, streaming reproduction or the like can be performed via a network such as the Internet. It is an object of the present invention to provide a comfortable reproduction method suitable for the viewing environment of the user when performing.
More specifically, one content is encoded and recorded with high image quality for viewing in a wide band, and encoded and recorded for viewing via a narrow band such as the Internet, depending on the viewing environment. The purpose of this is to allow the continuation of the content to be viewed from the position where the playback was stopped at the previous viewing time in any viewing environment.

The first technical means is an image processing apparatus in which an image recording unit and an image reproduction unit are connected via a wire or wirelessly, and the content is encoded only on the image recording unit under a plurality of encoding conditions. comprising a Lud over data accumulation hand stage to accumulate a content list including information on a plurality of encoded data and the plurality of encoded data, only the image reproducing unit, acquires the content list from the image recording unit And related information accumulating means for accumulating at least encoding condition information and reproduction stop position information related to each content as related information relating to a plurality of pieces of encoded data for each content based on the acquired content list with the door, said reproduction control means, the related information storing means before the encoded data of the selected content on the basis of the stored related information to Kide Obtained from data storage means, reproducing the acquired encoded data, or is obtained by, characterized in that transmitted to the network.

According to a second technical means, in the first technical means, the reproduction control means presents the relevant information stored in the relevant information accumulating means for each content to the user, and based on the presented relevant information for each content. The encoded data of the content is selected by the user.

According to a third technical means, in the first technical means, when the user stops the reproduction of the encoded data being reproduced by the image reproduction unit, the reproduction stop position information of the encoded data is stored in the related information storage means. Is stored in the related information storage means, and the reproduction stop position information of the encoded data is stored in the related information storage means. If it is, the playback stop position information stored in the related information storage means is updated with the playback stop position information when the user stops playback.
A fourth technical means is the first technical means, when the reproduction stop position information corresponding to the selected coding data is stored in the related information storage means, said reproduction control means, before Kide The encoded data is acquired from the data storage means, and the reproduction stop position information of the encoded data is acquired from the related information storage means.
A fifth technical means is an image reproduction apparatus connected to the image recording apparatus via a wire or wirelessly, and only the image reproduction apparatus is encoded with a plurality of encoding conditions for each content from the image recording apparatus. Reproduction control means for acquiring a content list including information relating to a plurality of encoded data, and related information relating to a plurality of encoded data for each content based on the acquired content list, at least relating to each content Related information storage means for storing encoding condition information and playback stop position information, wherein the playback control means outputs encoded data of content selected based on the related information stored in the related information storage means It is obtained from an image recording device, and the obtained encoded data is reproduced or transmitted to a network. That.
A sixth technical means is the fifth technical means, wherein the reproduction control means presents the relevant information stored in the relevant information accumulating means to the user for each content, and based on the presented relevant information for each content. The encoded data of the content is selected by the user.
In a fifth technical means, when the user stops reproduction of the encoded data being reproduced by the image reproduction apparatus in the fifth technical means, the reproduction stop position information of the encoded data is stored in the related information storage means. Is stored in the related information storage means, and the reproduction stop position information of the encoded data is stored in the related information storage means. If it is, the playback stop position information stored in the related information storage means is updated with the playback stop position information when the user stops playback.
An eighth technical means, in the fifth technical means, when the reproduction stop position information corresponding to the selected coding data is stored in the related information storage means, said reproduction control means, the image recording The encoded data is acquired from the apparatus, and the reproduction stop position information of the encoded data is acquired from the related information storage unit.
A ninth technical means is an image recording apparatus connected to the image reproducing apparatus according to any one of the fifth to eighth technical means via a wired or wireless connection, and a plurality of contents are stored only in the image recording apparatus. Provided to the image reproduction device for each content at least coding condition information and reproduction stop position information related to each content as a plurality of pieces of encoded data encoded with the encoding conditions of the above and related information related to the plurality of pieces of encoded data comprising a Lud over data accumulation hand stage to accumulate a content list for the image in response to a request from the playback apparatus, before said stored encoded data and the content list Kide over data storage means It is characterized by being sent to an image reproduction device.
A tenth technical means is an image processing method by an image processing apparatus in which an image recording unit and an image reproduction unit are connected via wire or wirelessly, and only the image recording unit encodes a plurality of contents. comprising a steps of storing the data storing means and a content list including information on a plurality of encoded data and the plurality of encoded data encoded by the conditions, only the image reproducing unit, from said image recording unit The reproduction control step for acquiring the content list, and at least encoding condition information and reproduction stop position information related to each content as related information related to a plurality of pieces of encoded data for each content based on the acquired content list Storing the information in the information storage means, wherein the reproduction control step is based on the related information stored in the related information storage means. Acquires encoded data of the selected content had before Kide over data storage means, reproducing the acquired encoded data, or is obtained by, characterized in that transmitted to the network.
An eleventh technical means is an image reproduction method by an image reproduction apparatus connected to the image recording apparatus via a wire or wirelessly, and only the image reproduction apparatus receives a plurality of codes for each content from the image recording apparatus. A reproduction control step for acquiring a content list including information on a plurality of pieces of encoded data encoded under the encoding condition, and at least each of the related information on the plurality of pieces of encoded data for each content based on the acquired content list And storing the encoding condition information related to the content and the reproduction stop position information in the related information accumulating means, wherein the reproduction control step selects the content selected based on the related information accumulated in the related information accumulating means Encoded data is acquired from the image recording apparatus, and the acquired encoded data is reproduced or networked. Is obtained and wherein the sending the over click.
A twelfth technical means is an image recording method by an image recording apparatus connected to the image reproducing apparatus according to any one of the fifth to eighth technical means by wire or wirelessly, and only the image recording apparatus is used. A plurality of pieces of encoded data obtained by encoding a content under a plurality of encoding conditions, and at least encoding condition information and reproduction stop position information related to each piece of content as related information related to the plurality of pieces of encoded data. a step of storing a content list to be provided to the reproducing apparatus in the data storage means, in response to a request from the previous SL image reproducing apparatus, stored previously Kide over data storage means the coded data and the And a step of sending a content list to the image reproduction apparatus.

According to the present invention, depending on each viewing environment, for example, whether the content recorded / stored in a television broadcast is viewed on a home television or by streaming playback via a communication line such as the Internet or a LAN. A comfortable playback method can be realized.
Specifically, in recording and playback of encoded content, the user can select encoded content according to the viewing environment by recording the content with a plurality of encoding methods, and easily realize comfortable viewing. can do.
In addition, by managing the information of the position where reproduction is stopped (reproduction stop position) for each original content before encoding, information on the reproduction stop position among a plurality of encoded contents recorded for one content This makes it possible to share different codes according to the viewing environment when playback is performed while changing the viewing environment after stopping the playback while viewing the content encoded with an arbitrary encoding method. It is possible to view the content that has been encoded by the conversion method from the continuation where playback has been stopped.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the image processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the content relevant information in an image processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the content relevant information in an image processing apparatus. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the recording process of a content. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the reproduction | regeneration processing of the content to which this invention is applied. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the process at the time of performing a reproduction | regeneration stop while a user is viewing content. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the multiplexed stream data recorded by the image processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the packet contained in the multiplexed stream data recorded by the image processing apparatus. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the reconstruction process of a multiplexed stream. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the content data encoded by the image processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the content data at the time of reconstructing a multiplexed stream from the multiplexed stream data recorded by the image processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the key frame information of the packet containing a key frame. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the process which transmits a packet sequentially in the case of the reconstruction of the multiplexed stream of the image processing apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the server / client type | mold structural example in the image processing apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example in which the server side manages the content related information database in the image processing apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example with which the content is output to a network, without decoding in the image processing apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example in which content-related information is also moved when moving content to a playback device in an image processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example which added UserID to the content relevant information in an image processing apparatus.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 10 is an image processing apparatus, and the image processing apparatus 10 includes an image recording unit 1 and an image reproduction unit 2. The image recording unit 1 includes a recording control unit 11 that performs recording control of received content data, an encoding unit 12 that encodes content data, a content storage unit 13 that stores encoded content data, and a received content data A content related information generating unit 14 that generates the related information from the content data, a related information recording unit 15 that records the generated content related information, and a content related information database (hereinafter, content related information DB) 16 that stores the content related information. The image reproduction unit 2 includes a reproduction control unit 17 that performs control for reproduction in response to a user input or the like, and a reproduction control unit 17. A related information reading unit 18 that reads related information of the instructed content data from the content related information DB 16, a content data reading unit 19 that reads the content data stored in the content storage unit 13, and a decoding unit that decodes the encoded content data 20. An encoded data extraction unit 21 that generates reproduction data from a reproduction stop position at the previous viewing time, and an output unit 22 that determines an output destination according to the viewing environment of the user and outputs the reproduction data to each output destination. .

Further, the image processing apparatus 10 has a network connection function for connecting to a network such as the Internet or a LAN, and can be connected to other image reproduction apparatuses or the like via the network.
Further, as an embodiment of the present invention, the image processing apparatus 10 will be described as a representative example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the image recording apparatus including the image recording unit 1 or the image reproducing apparatus including the image reproducing unit 2 is not limited thereto. It is good also as a form. In the case of this image reproduction device, the content reproduction information DB 16 may be provided on the image reproduction device side.
In the following description, a plurality of recording modes will be described using compression techniques such as MPEG-2 and MPEG-4, but the recording method applicable to the present invention is not limited to this.

  In FIG. 1, a recording control unit 11 determines a method for recording received content data in accordance with a recording mode set by a user. The user sets and records in advance the recording mode of the content to be recorded (that is, encoding conditions including parameters such as the encoding method and encoding rate) in the image processing apparatus 10. That is, the recording is for the purpose of viewing by a display device connected by wire, the recording is for the purpose of viewing by a display device via a network such as the Internet, or the recording is for the purpose of both. Set the recording mode for each recording mode. With these settings, the recording control unit 11 sends operating conditions and parameters for encoding to the encoding unit 12. In addition, the recording control unit 11 outputs information related to the content including the operating conditions and parameters for encoding, the program name, and the like to the content related information generation unit 14.

  The encoding unit 12 encodes content in accordance with the parameters set by the recording control unit 11, and generates data obtained by encoding image data and audio data. As the image signal encoding method, there are encoding methods such as the MPEG-1 standard, the MPEG-2 standard, or the MPEG-4 standard. There are methods such as 726 and AMR. In the present invention, these encoding methods are not particularly limited as long as the decoding unit 20 can decode them. The encoding unit 12 may correspond to one of these encoding methods. For example, a plurality of encoding methods such as an MPEG-2 standard encoding method and an MPEG-4 standard encoding method may be used. It may correspond to. The encoded content is stored in the content storage unit 13. The content storage unit 13 is configured by, for example, a magnetic storage device or an optical storage device.

  In the present invention, when recording the same content in a plurality of recording modes for a plurality of viewing purposes (wired connection such as a television, via a network, etc.), a plurality of encoding units 12 are provided to perform encoding processing in parallel. Alternatively, the recording control unit 11 may sequentially instruct the encoding unit 12 for each recording mode.

  The condition of content that can be comfortably viewed varies depending on the viewing mode of the user. For example, when viewing on a display device such as a television set such as a home server, high-quality (low coding rate) content such as MPEG-2 coding can be viewed, and a network is used with a PDA or mobile phone. With such a viewing mode, viewing with low image quality (high coding rate), such as the MPEG-4 coding method, can be comfortably viewed. As with a network via LAN, high-quality content can be viewed if the communication speed is high, but low-quality content can be viewed without stress when using a PHS network or the like. In this way, a recording mode suitable for the viewing mode is prepared, and recording is performed according to the recording mode when content is recorded. Further, by performing a plurality of recording modes (encoding processes) at the time of content recording, the convenience of viewing high-quality content at home and continuing to view in the low-quality recording mode on the go.

  This recording mode may be set in advance in the device, or may be set arbitrarily by the user. Here, when a certain content is recorded in the recording mode of the MPEG-2 standard and the recording mode of the MPEG-4 standard, if the encoding unit 12 is compatible with the MPEG-2 standard and the MPEG-4 standard, The recording control unit 11 may instruct the encoding unit 12 to perform the encoding process in both modes at the same time, or instruct the encoding process in the MPEG-4 standard after the encoding process in the MPEG-2 standard. You may do it. If the encoding unit 12 supports only a single encoding method, an encoding unit corresponding to the MPEG-2 standard and an encoding unit corresponding to the MPEG-4 standard are prepared, and recording control is performed. The unit 11 may instruct the encoding process to each. In the embodiment of the present invention, the encoding unit 12 is described as an encoding unit corresponding to a plurality of encoding methods.

  The content related information generation unit 14 generates the content encoding parameters and content information output from the recording control unit 11 as content related information. The generated content related information is stored in the content related information DB 16 via the related information recording unit 15.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of content-related information in the image processing apparatus 10.
The content related information generated by the content related information generation unit 14 includes the content name, the playback time length of the content, the position (time) at which playback was stopped, the recording mode in which the content is encoded, and the encoded file in each recording mode. Name, encoding parameters, etc. When the encoded data is generated from the same content data in a plurality of recording modes, encoded data (file) corresponding to each recording mode is generated, and these are encoded data of the same content. In order to show that there is a file name, it is managed by a file name including the original content name before encoding. For example, with respect to the content name “contents_01”, a file in recording mode 1 is given a file name “contents — 01_mode1”, and a file in recording mode 2 is given a “contents — 01_mode2”.

  Since these two files are managed by the content name before encoding, as shown in FIG. 2, the information of the playback time length and the position (time) at which playback is stopped is shared between the two files. That is, when the user views “contents_01” with the file “contents_01_mode1” in the recording mode 1 and stops the playback in the middle of viewing, the playback stop information is recorded as the information of “contents_01”. When the user resumes viewing with the content “contents_01_mode2” file, the playback stop information is managed in common with “contents_01_mode1”, so that the continuation can be viewed from the playback stop position.

  When playing back the content recorded as described above, the playback control unit 17 displays a list of original content stored in the content storage unit 13 on the display device as a thumbnail display or list. Present by display. From the list, the user selects content to be reproduced.

  The playback control unit 17 instructs the related information reading unit 18 to acquire the related information of the content designated to be played by the user, and acquires the content related information from the content related information DB 16. Next, the playback control unit 17 analyzes the acquired content-related information, and acquires information such as whether there is data recorded in a plurality of recording modes in the specified content or whether there is playback stop position information.

  Here, the reproduction stop position is information indicating a position (position in the content) where the encoded data of the content is decoded and the content is reproduced and then stopped by the control of the reproduction apparatus. Here, when the playback is stopped by the control of the playback device, for example, when the user gives an instruction to stop playback, when the timer is automatically stopped at the specified time, playback due to power interruption or battery exhaustion For example, when the apparatus is stopped. This reproduction stop position may be indicated by the reproduction time from the beginning of the content, or may be expressed by the number of bits (or the number of bytes) from the beginning of the encoded data. The reproduction time is expressed by hours, minutes, or seconds, but other expressions (for example, the number of clocks of the reproduction device, a count number with a predetermined time as a unit) may be used.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the content related information in the image processing apparatus 10.
In the case of content recorded in a plurality of recording modes, as shown in FIG. 2, if the playback stop position is managed by time, the information of the playback stop position in the data of each recording mode can be handled as common to each data. However, in the case of the number of bits (or the number of bytes) from the beginning of the data, as shown in FIG.

  The reproduction control unit 17 presents the acquired information on the display device. Thereby, the user can select the parameters and operations of the content to be reproduced in accordance with the viewing environment. In particular, regarding the selection of parameters, the user can select parameters suitable for his / her viewing environment by presenting the recording mode of the corresponding content. Further, the information on the reproduction stop position can be used when the already viewed part is skipped and reproduced from the middle.

  The reproduction control unit 17 reads out encoded content data (encoded data) corresponding to the recording mode selected by the user from the content storage unit 13. According to information such as whether the read encoded data is reproduced from the reproduction stop position or reproduced via the Internet, the content data and the related information are decoded by the decoding unit 20 or the encoded data extracting unit 21. Output to. Whether or not the playback is from the playback stop position is acquired when the playback content is selected by the user. Information such as whether or not playback is performed via the Internet is used by the user to access the image processing apparatus 10 by any means. It is acquired from what it did. That is, if the user performs reproduction via the Internet, the user's access to the image processing apparatus 10 is necessarily via the Internet.

  The decoding unit 20 decodes the encoded content data and outputs it to a display device (not shown) via the output unit 22. The encoded data extraction unit 21 generates reproduction data from a specified time. In the present embodiment, reproduction data from the reproduction stop position is generated based on the information of the reproduction stop position recorded in the content related information. Normally, encoded data of content is not recorded as raw bit stream data (also referred to as elementary stream) such as MPEG-2 video or MPEG-2 audio, but image data and audio data are recorded as a single piece. In order to handle it as a program, it is recorded as a multiplexed stream. In addition to the image data and the audio data, information related to the encoding method, image size, reproduction time information, and the like are added to the multiplexed stream. The multiplexing method for generating the multiplexed stream includes MPEG-2 system for MPEG-2, MPEG-4 system for MPEG-4, ASF (Advanced System Format) proposed by Microsoft Corporation, etc. There is.

  In this embodiment, when extracting a bit stream after a specified time from encoded data of recorded content, decoding processing such as MPEG-2 video and MPEG-2 audio is not performed, and is included in the multiplexed stream. This information is used. The encoded data extraction unit 21 specifies the data position corresponding to the specified time and generates data for reproduction. If the user is viewing on a display device such as a television, the generated reproduction data is output to the decoding unit 20 in order to decode the data. In the case of viewing via a network such as the Internet, the data is output without being decoded, and thus is output to the output unit 22.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the content recording process. In this example, description will be made based on the image processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG.
First, the content recorded by the recording control unit 11 is acquired (step S1). This content acquisition method is, for example, connected to a video player such as another video deck or DVD device in addition to reception via a broadcasting network such as analog television broadcasting, BS / CS / digital terrestrial broadcasting, or cable television. Or input. Next, the encoding unit 12 encodes the received content in accordance with a preset recording mode (step S2), and a magnetic recording device represented by a hard disk, an optical disk recording device such as a DVD-R, or a compact flash (registered trademark). ) Etc. to a flash memory recording device.

  Next, the recording control unit 11 acquires or generates a content name in order to manage the encoded content (step S3). The content name may be generated from the date of encoding or the channel of the television broadcast, or may be arbitrarily set by the user at the time of scheduled recording if the television broadcast is reserved. If additional information such as a title is included in the received content, it may be acquired and used as the content name.

  Next, the content related information generation unit 14 generates necessary related information data as related information of the recorded content (step S4). As shown in FIG. 2, the related information data includes the content name acquired or generated in step S3, the playback time, the file name for recording the encoded content, and the encoding parameters. Yes. Further, the information on the reproduction stop position is also recorded by being included in this related information data. The related information data generated in this way is registered in the content related information DB 16 by the related information recording unit 15 (step S5).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of content reproduction processing to which the present invention is applied. This example will be described based on the image processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG.
First, the user accesses the image processing apparatus 10. At this time, the reproduction control unit 17 determines the access means of the user and identifies whether the access is via at least a network such as the Internet (step S11). The reproduction control unit 17 presents reproducible content on the display device and causes the user to select it (step S12).

  Next, the playback control unit 17 acquires the content related information of the content selected in step S12 from the content related information DB 16 via the related information reading unit 18, and the number of the recording modes and the playback of the acquired content It is determined whether or not there is information on the stop position (step S13).

  The reproduction control unit 17 determines whether there are a plurality of recording modes corresponding to the content to be reproduced among the information determined in step S13 (step S14), and if there are a plurality of recording modes (YES). In the case), a selection of a recording mode (parameter) of the content to be reproduced is presented to the user (step S15). If a plurality of recording modes do not exist in step S14 (in the case of NO), since there is only one recording mode, the content to be reproduced is determined, and the process proceeds to step S16.

When the content to be played back is determined in step S14 or step S15, the playback control unit 17 accesses the content storage unit 13 via the content data reading unit 19 and acquires the encoded content (step S16).
Next, the playback control unit 17 determines whether or not the information on the playback stop position exists from the content-related information analyzed in step S13 (step S17). If the information on the playback stop position exists (YES) In the case), an inquiry is made to the user as to whether or not reproduction from the reproduction stop position is performed (step S18).

  Next, the playback control unit 17 determines whether or not the feedback from the user in step S18 performs playback from the playback stop position (step S19), and when playback from the playback stop position is performed (in the case of YES). The reproduction stop position information and the encoded content data are output to the encoded data extraction unit 21. The encoded data extraction unit 21 generates data from the reproduction stop position based on the reproduction stop position information (step S20).

  Here, in the encoded content in which the audio media and the image media are multiplexed, the data at the reproduction stop position of each media is not always continuous in the data depending on the multiplexing method. In addition, encoded content in which multiplexed stream data is packetized does not always exist in the same packet. In such a case, in playback based on one of the media, there may be a section in which the media that is not the reference is not played back, or a synchronization shift may occur, thereby preventing comfortable viewing. Therefore, the multiplexed stream data (and the control information of the multiplexed stream) is reconfigured so as not to cause wrinkles in the reproduction of each media. In step S19, if the playback is not from the playback stop position, that is, playback from the beginning of the content (NO), the content data is output to the output unit 22.

  Next, the playback control unit 17 outputs the data corresponding to the viewing environment of the user identified in step S11 from the playback stop position generated in step S20 or the content data acquired in step S16. The destination is determined (step S21). That is, if the viewing environment is viewing by a display device connected by wire (NO), the content data is decrypted (step S22). In step S21, if the viewing environment is via a network (in the case of YES), data to be output is output in accordance with the viewing environment of the user (step S23). In this case, the encoded data is output and decoded by the playback device on the user side.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, after the user selects the content (step S12), it is determined whether or not the information on the playback stop position exists in the selected content (step S17), and is played back to the user. Inquiry about whether or not playback from the stop position is performed (step S18), and playback is performed according to the feedback (step S19). However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in FIG. 5, the procedure for determining the existence of content playback stop position information (step S17) and the procedure for performing playback according to feedback from the user (step S19) may be reversed. That is, when selecting the content to be viewed by the user, the user selects a viewing method that gives priority to playback from the playback stop position, and notifies the playback control unit 17 of the viewing method. The playback control unit 17 determines the presence of playback stop information of the selected content according to the notified viewing method. When the playback stop position information exists, playback is performed from the playback stop position. When there is no playback stop position information, playback from the beginning of the content may be performed.

  Further, it is not necessary to inquire the user whether or not the playback is from the playback stop position every time the content is viewed. That is, a viewing method may be set in advance in the playback control unit 17. The playback control unit 17 may determine by referring to the set viewing method instead of inquiring the user in step S18.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing when the user stops playback while viewing the content. This example will be described based on the image processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG.
First, when the user stops playback while viewing, the playback control unit 17 receives the playback stop information directly or via a network such as the Internet (step S31). Upon receiving the playback stop instruction, the playback control unit 17 stops the output of the content (step S32), and acquires the time information of the playback stop (step S33). Among these pieces of information, information related to information necessary for resuming reproduction (such as the time when reproduction was stopped) is updated by the content related information generation unit 14 in relation to existing relevant content (step S34). The updated content related information is output to the related information recording unit 15, and is updated and registered in the content related information DB 16 (step S35).

Hereinafter, an example of content data reconstruction processing in the encoded data extraction unit 21 illustrated in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of multiplexed stream data recorded by the image processing apparatus 10. The encoded data extraction unit 21 reconstructs encoded content data based on the information of the multiplexed stream in order to perform reproduction from the reproduction stop position. As described above, as a multiplexing method for generating a multiplexed stream, for example, there are an MPEG-2 system, an MPEG-4 system, a Microsoft ASF, and the like. Normally, as shown in FIG. 7A, these multiplexed stream data include a part for storing control information of the entire content (control information in the figure) and a part for storing actual data (content in the figure). Data). In the case of content intended for reproduction via the Internet, audio media and image media are multiplexed and stored in “content data”.

  In the content data shown in FIG. 7B, A indicates audio media data (audio data), and V indicates image media data (image data). With this configuration, the receiving side can perform playback as soon as the audio media and the image media to be played back at the same time are ready without waiting for the completion of reception of all data. As shown in FIG. 7C, this multiplexed data is usually control information ("control" in the figure and generally different from the control information of the entire content) and actual data (audio data A and And a set of packets including image data V). By transmitting in units of packets, there are advantages such as avoidance of occupation of communication paths and the flexibility of transmission paths.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of packets included in the multiplexed stream data recorded by the image processing apparatus 10.
The method of dividing the multiplexed stream data into packets differs depending on each multiplexing method, but in order to try smooth reproduction, audio media data (audio data A) reproduced at the same time and image media data (image A measure is taken such that the data V) is not arranged in a packet that is far away. For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, audio data A and image data V assigned the same number are data that are reproduced simultaneously, that is, A1 and V1, A2 and V2, etc. are reproduced at the same time. Indicates that the data is to be processed.

  When trying to reproduce the encoded content data from the middle, the position of the reproduction data is specified using the reproduction time information of the encoded content data included in the control information of the packet itself shown in FIG. can do. However, generally, as shown in FIG. 8B, audio data and image data corresponding to the reproduction start time may not be included in the same packet. For this reason, when transmitting in packet units, data that is unnecessary for reproduction (data before or after the designated reproduction time) is included, or until reception of image data to be reproduced at the same time as the audio data. Phenomenon such as taking time occurs. In order to avoid such a phenomenon, the multiplexed stream is reconfigured as follows.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a multiplexed stream reconstruction process. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of content data encoded by the image processing apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 10A, the multiplexed stream data is a packet in which control information for the entire content, a plurality of packets including audio data, image data, and control information for the packet itself, and a key frame of the image data are present. Key frame information. A key frame is a frame that is normally intra-frame encoded and does not require predictive decoding from other frames, and is used as a playback start frame for random access playback of image data. In FIG. 10A, Vt and At indicate audio data and image data corresponding to a designated reproduction start time (designated time) t.

  In FIG. 9, first, the encoded data extraction unit 21 specifies a packet including data near the specified time t (step S41). Here, the packet 31 shown in FIG. Next, the reproduction time information of the audio data and the image data included in the specified packet is extracted (step S42). In this example, reproduction times V2 and V3 corresponding to the image data 32 and 35 shown in FIG. 10A and reproduction times A4 and A5 corresponding to the audio data 33 and 34 are extracted.

  Next, the image data closest to the time t is specified from the reproduction time information of the extracted image data, and the reproduction time Vt corresponding to this is obtained (step S43). The reproduction time V3 corresponding to the image data 35 shown in FIG. Then, it is checked whether or not the audio data corresponding to the time Vt exists in the packet (step S44). If the audio data exists (in the case of YES), the process proceeds to step S47, and the packet and image data to start reproduction Then, the identification of the voice data is finished and the reconstruction process is performed. In step S44, when there is no audio data (in the case of NO), the earliest audio data reproduction time At0 in the packet (that is, reproduction time A4 shown in FIG. 10A) and latest time The reproduction time At1 of the audio data (that is, the reproduction time A5 shown in FIG. 10A) is compared with the reproduction time Vt, and if the reproduction time Vt is earlier than At0 (reproduction time A4), the current time If the reproduction time Vt is later than At1 (reproduction time A5), the subsequent packet is obtained (step S45).

  For the packet acquired again in step S45, it is checked whether or not there is audio data corresponding to time Vt in the packet (step S46). If audio data corresponding to time Vt exists (YES). In step S46, if there is no audio data corresponding to the time Vt (NO), steps S45 and S46 are repeated until the audio data corresponding to the time Vt can be specified.

  Here, when the audio data 36 is specified as the audio data corresponding to the time Vt shown in FIG. 10A, the specified image data 35 (reproduction time V3) and audio data 36 (reproduction time A3) are identified in step S47. ) To reconstruct the packet.

  Here, since the image data 32 (reproduction time V2) and 37 (reproduction time V1) shown in FIG. 10A are not necessarily key frames, there is a possibility that the image data cannot be correctly decoded. . In such a case, as shown in FIG. 10B, those image data are replaced with invalid data. The invalid data is data that is determined to be discarded by the decoding device, and is marked with “D” in FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10B, the image data 32 and 37 are replaced with invalid data 32 ′ and 37 ′, and the position of the other data is replaced so that the invalid data is located at the end of each packet. Yes. This is because some of the multiplexing systems describe the size of audio data and image data included in the packet in the control information of each packet. When voice data and image data are packetized, if the data size of one packet is fixed, the data size of one packet does not necessarily match the size of the voice data and image data included in the packet. Therefore, by describing the effective data size in the packet in the packet control information, it is possible to identify invalid data without requiring special information. In such a case, when invalid data is newly generated, it is necessary to move the invalid data to the end of each packet and correct the control information of the packet.

  Furthermore, if data that cannot be decoded correctly is replaced with invalid data having the same number of bits and the packet is reconfigured, there is no need to change the packet length and there is no effect on other packets. Similarly, audio data 38 (reproduction time A2) and audio data 39 (reproduction time A1) shown in FIG. 10A are audio data having time information before the above time At, and are reproduced from time t. Therefore, the data is invalid data (invalid data 38 ', 39') as shown in FIG.

The above will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of content data when the multiplexed stream is reconstructed from the multiplexed stream data recorded by the image processing apparatus 10. FIG. 11A shows the original encoded content data. As shown in FIG. 10A, the content data is composed of a packet 40 composed of control information indicating the entire file, image data, and audio data (the same applies to the packets 41, 42, 43, and 44). The configuration of each packet is multiplexed as shown in FIG.

  Here, the time information of the playback stop position is 5 minutes and 30 seconds, and the reconfiguration when restarting playback from this position is as follows. The image data corresponding to the time information 5 minutes 30 seconds of the reproduction stop position is the image data 48 shown in FIG. The audio data 49 in the same packet as the image data 48 is 5 minutes 33 seconds, and the reproduction time is later than the image data 48. Therefore, the time information of each data of the packet before the packet 44 is searched for audio data having the same time as the image data 48. Search is performed in the order of packet 42 and packet 41, and it is found in packet 41 that the reproduction time of audio data 45 is 5 minutes 30 seconds. As a result, the packet 41 is reconstructed. Although the multiplexing rule at the time of reconstruction is not particularly limited, the order of data from the reference image data to the earliest reproduction time is used.

Since each packet has a predetermined packet length, packetization is performed with that length.
In the packet 43, the reproduction time of the audio data 46 is 5 minutes and 30 seconds or later, so that it is a target of reconstruction. However, since the reproduction time of the image data 47 is 5 minutes 29 seconds, it is not a target data for reconstruction. , Destroyed.

  As a result, each packet is reconstructed as indicated by arrows 50 to 58 shown in FIG. Since there is no data invalidated by reconstruction in the packets after the packet 44, invalid data does not occur, and all the data in the packet is after 5 minutes 30 seconds, and thus reconstruction is not performed. Accordingly, the moving image data shown in FIG. 11C is reconstructed.

  In FIG. 9, after the reconstruction process is completed, the reproduction time information included in the control information of the packet to be reproduced is updated (step S48). This is because the playback time information is usually expressed in absolute time from the start of playback, so that in a state where only reconstruction is performed, data is received but playback is not performed until the time specified by the user. This is because there is a possibility of occurrence. However, when the reproduction time information is expressed as a relative time (for example, difference information from the reproduction time of the previous packet or the previous data), such an update process is not necessary.

  Finally, the multiplexed stream control information shown in FIG. 10A is updated so as to be suitable for the reconstructed content data (step S49). Depending on the multiplexing method, the control information includes information such as the number of packets included in the multiplexed stream, the reproduction time, the size of the data portion, and the like. This is because they are changed in the reconstructed multiplexed stream. As described above, the content is created from the position at the specified time during reproduction.

Next, a method for specifying a packet including image data corresponding to the designated time t in step S41 shown in FIG. 9 will be described in detail.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of key frame information of a packet including a key frame. The key frame information shown in FIG. 10A describes information that can specify the position of the key frame. In this example, information (referred to as an index object) in Microsoft ASF will be described as a representative example. However, in this example, an outline of the index object is shown, and only main elements are shown.

  The index object includes an entry based on time for image data. Each entry indicates a packet number of a packet including the image data at the time indicated by each entry. The time pointed to by the entry is calculated by the entry time interval 61. In this example, the time interval between entries is 1 second. Here, the packet number of the packet in which the key frame immediately before the time indicated by the entry exists is shown. That is, entry number 1 has a key frame before 1 second in packet 0, entry number 2 has a key frame before 2 seconds still in packet 0, and entry number 4 has a key frame before 4 seconds. Indicates that the packet 13 is present.

  In order to identify an entry corresponding to the designated time t as described above, first, the time indicated by each entry is calculated from the entry time interval value and the entry number. Then, the entry whose calculated time is closest to time t is selected. Here, when the designated time t is, for example, 10.5 seconds, either the entry number 10 or the entry number 11 is selected. For example, the entry number 10 may always be selected. In this way, the packet including the image data corresponding to the time t when the packet is designated is specified.

In the above example, the generation of content data from the position where playback is stopped has been described. However, in the case of performing streaming playback, data is transmitted when it is created halfway without creating all the content data to be transmitted. be able to. This will be described based on the following flowchart.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a process of sequentially transmitting packets when reconstructing a multiplexed stream of an image processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
First, a packet including image data for a specified time t is specified by the same method as in step S41 shown in FIG. 9 (step S51), and a packet including audio data corresponding to the specified image data is specified. (Step S52). The packet identification method uses the same method as in steps S44 to S46 shown in FIG.

  Next, the packet identified in step S52 is reconfigured by the same processing as in step S47 shown in FIG. 9 (step S53). Since the content has been specified, the total content playback time, the total number of packets, the total number of data, and the like can be calculated. Thus, the same processing as step S49 shown in FIG. Update (step S54). Normally, since the control information of the multiplexed stream is data necessary for decoding and reproducing the image data and audio data included in the multiplexed stream, the control information is output to the output unit 22 shown in FIG. S55).

  Next, after the control information is output in step S55, the packets are sequentially output. The reproduction time of the image / sound data included in the output packet needs to be corrected to a time based on the reproduction time of the image / sound data specified in Steps S51 and S52. Here, among the control information of each packet, it is necessary to correct the reproduction time of the image and audio data so that the reproduction time of the image / audio data specified in step S51 and step S52 becomes zero. Therefore, in the packet output process, it is determined whether or not a reproduction stop instruction by the user has been detected (step S56). If a reproduction stop instruction is detected (in the case of YES), the process is terminated, and in step S56, When the reproduction stop instruction is not detected (in the case of NO), it is determined whether or not there is an output packet (step S57). When there is no packet (in the case of NO), the process is terminated and there is a packet (YES). In this case, the packet control information is updated before output (step S58), and the packet with the updated control information is output (step S59).

  The packet output process is continued as long as the reproduction stop instruction by the user is not detected in step S56 and there is multiplexed stream data (packet) in step S57. When the reproduction stop instruction by the user is detected, or when there are no more packets to be output, the data transmission processing for streaming reproduction ends. By performing such processing, the user can start viewing without generating multiplexed stream data from the playback stop position, so the time from playback start instruction to actual playback start Can be shortened.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and can be realized even with the configuration shown in FIG. 14 that have the same functions as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of a server / client type configuration in an image processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. The image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an image recording unit 63 and an image reproduction unit 64, and only the image reproduction unit 64 manages the content related information database 16. For example, in a server / client type device, it may be stored in a client terminal having an image reproduction unit.

  When considering a server / client type device, the image recording unit 63 and the image reproduction unit 64 are connected via a wired or wireless network, and exchange data (L1, L2). If the user wants to play the content from the middle, as described above, even if the packet is reconstructed after receiving the content data, the user must wait for viewing until the data at the playback start position is obtained. Therefore, when requesting content data from the content data reading unit 19, the playback control unit 17 transmits the playback start position information together (L1). The content data reading unit 19 acquires the requested content data from the content storage unit 13, and at this time, the encoded data extraction unit 21 performs the content data from the reproduction start position by the reconstruction method described above. Restructured into content. The reconstructed content data is transmitted to the reproduction control unit 17 (L1) and decrypted.

  The operation of the present invention in FIG. 14 will be described. Upon receiving the content, the recording control unit 11 instructs the encoding unit 12 to perform encoding in accordance with encoding conditions such as recording in a plurality of recording modes. The encoded data is stored in the content storage unit 13. At this time, a content list is generated in the content storage unit 13 for managing the stored content. This content list only needs to know what kind of content is recorded in the accumulated content, whether it is recorded in a plurality of recording modes, etc., so at least the content of the content information shown in FIG. The name and the actual data file name need only be recorded. When the user views the content, the playback control unit 17 inquires of the content list reading unit 62 about the content stored in the content storage unit 13 (L2). The content list reading unit 62 acquires the list from the content storage unit 13 and returns the information to the reproduction control unit 17 (L2). The reproduction control unit 17 converts the acquired list into a content related information database format by the content related information generation unit 14 and records it in the content related information database 16 via the related information recording unit 15. When content related information already exists in the content related information database 16, the related information recording unit 15 may record the acquired related information and the related information in the database so as to be merged, or simply You can overwrite it.

  Information stored in the content related information database 16 is read by the related information reading unit 18 and is shown to the user by the reproduction control unit 17. The user selects content to view from the related information (content name, recording mode, playback time, playback stop position information, etc.) of the indicated content. The reproduction control unit 17 requests the selected content from the content data reading unit 19 and reproduces the acquired data.

  When the user stops the reproduction, the reproduction control unit 17 registers the reproduction stop position in the content related information database 16. Of the content related information viewed by the user in the content related information database 16, the content related information generation unit 14 updates and registers the information on the playback stop position.

In the server / client type configuration, the content-related information database may be managed by the server side. FIG. 15 shows an example of the configuration.
FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example in which the server side manages the content related information database in an image processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. The image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an image recording unit 65 and an image reproduction unit 66 that record and store contents. The playback control unit 17 of the image playback unit 66 on the client side requests the content information stored on the server side from the related information reading unit 18 (L2). Information such as the acquired content name and time information is presented to the user, and the content to be viewed by the user is determined. The content data reading unit 19 is requested to acquire the data of the selected content (L1).

  At this time, when the content selected by the user has information on the playback stop position and the user desires playback from the playback stop position, the content data reading unit 19 is also notified that playback is from the playback stop position ( It may be a flag for restarting from the playback stop position, or time information on a position where playback is started). The content data reading unit 19 reads data from the content storage unit 13 and performs processing in the encoded data extraction unit 21 in order to reconstruct the data from the reproduction start position designated by the user. By transmitting the reconstructed data to the playback control unit 17, the user can view the content.

  When viewing is performed with a device having the image playback unit 66 and playback is stopped halfway, the playback stop position information is transmitted to the image recording unit 65 (L3). The recording control unit 11 that has received the reproduction stop position information updates the content related information in the content related information database 16 in the same manner as described above.

  FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example in which content is output to a network without being decrypted in an image processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 14 and 15, the content data is decrypted by the decryption unit 20 and the content is output to the display device by the output unit 22 at the time of output. However, as shown in FIG. When the destination is a network or the like, it may be output without decoding.

  FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example in which content-related information is also moved when moving content to a playback device in an image processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. As a method of viewing content stored in a server / client type configuration, there is a method of viewing content data by copying (or moving) the content data to a playback device as a client. This configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the recording side device has an image recording unit 67, and the playback side device has an image playback unit 68. The image reproduction unit 68 includes a content related information generation unit 14 ′ that performs the same processing as the content related information generation unit 14, a related information recording unit 15 ′ that performs the same processing as the related information recording unit 15, and a related information reading unit 18. The related information reading unit 18 ′ that performs the same processing and the content data reading unit 19 ′ that performs the same processing as the content data reading unit 19 are included. In addition, it has a content related information database 16 ′ for storing content related information and a content storage unit 13 ′ for storing content.

  When the user selects content on the storage side and stores the content on the playback side device, the content information and data are acquired by connecting the two wirelessly or by wire. The content data is stored in the content storage unit 13 ′ from the content data reading unit 19 via the content data recording unit 69. The content related information is stored in the content related information database 16 ′ from the related information reading unit 18 via the related information recording unit 15 ′. Here, the state at the time of storage does not matter. That is, it may be simply copied or moved.

  In this way, when content is stored in the device having the image playback unit 68, the related information of the stored content is also stored. Therefore, when information on the playback stop position is included, when viewing with this device Can be played from the middle.

  When the content to be stored is recorded in a plurality of recording modes, the user may be allowed to select which recording mode data is to be stored, or data of all recording modes may be stored. In addition, when the playback device has set playback capability information such as what specification data can be played back, data corresponding to the capability may be acquired.

  When the playback side device views and stops playback, the playback stop position information of the content is recorded / updated in the content related information of the playback side device. The content-related information recorded / updated by the playback device is transferred from the playback device to the recording device the next time the recording device and playback device are connected, and the content-related information of the storage device Information is updated. That is, the content related information is read from the content related information database 16 ′ by the related information reading unit 18 ′, and is output to the content related information generating unit 14 of the recording side device via the reproduction control unit 17. The content related information generation unit 14 outputs the received information to the related information recording unit 15, and the content related information database 16 is updated. In this update, it may be automatically updated when each device is connected, or whether to update or not may be presented to the user and selected.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in which UserID is added to content-related information in the image processing apparatus. Since the related information data shown in FIG. 2 cannot be distinguished for each viewing user, if the user A who has stopped playing differs from the user B who has watched next, the information that the user A has stopped playing will be lost. There is. Therefore, user identification information may be added to the related information data. In the example of FIG. 18, a UserID field is added to the related information data shown in FIG. 2, and the playback stop position can be recorded in each field. At this time, the method for setting the combination of the actual viewing user and UserID is not limited. For example, as represented by a personal computer, a user may be identified by performing a login operation at the time of viewing, or the user may be inquired about the user name or the like at the playback stop position. Further, if a device to be operated for each user (for example, a dedicated remote controller for each user) is different, the device may be identified and used as a UserID. In addition, when the playback side devices (PDA viewing and mobile phone viewing) in the server / client type configuration are different, the playback device may be identified and used as the UserID.

  In any configuration of the present invention (FIGS. 1, 14, 15, 16, and 17), the recording timing of the reproduction stop position information may be recorded at any timing. That is, the recording may be automatically performed when the reproduction is stopped, or a window for recording or updating the reproduction stop position may be displayed when the reproduction is stopped, and the user may select it. At this time, if the user selects recording (update), the reproduction stop position information is rewritten, but if not updated, the reproduction stop position information is not recorded.

  In addition, when the image recording unit or the image reproduction unit can identify a plurality of users and only one piece of reproduction stop information can be stored in the content related information of each content, each user can be connected between the users of the reproduction stop position information. Priority may be set. That is, when the user A with high priority views and updates the playback stop position information, the content related information is automatically updated, and the user with low priority views and updates the playback stop position information. In this case, the content related information is not updated because the priority is low. Similarly, in a server / client type configuration, when there are a plurality of devices on the client playback side, a priority is assigned to each playback device, so that the playback stop position when viewing with the device A having a higher priority is given. When content-related information including information is updated and viewed on the device B having a low priority, the reproduction stop position information is not updated even if the reproduction is stopped during viewing.

  In each of the embodiments according to the present invention, the method of playing the content from the middle according to the information on the playback stop position has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and there is no information on the playback stop position such as jump playback. The same technique can be applied to the reproduction process of content from any place by operation.

  As described above, each embodiment has been described centering on each function in the image reproducing apparatus of the present invention. However, the present invention can also be implemented as an image reproducing method as described above as a method for executing each step in the image reproducing apparatus. Can take. Similarly to the apparatus having each function, a form as a program for causing a computer to function as an image reproducing apparatus, and a form as a recording medium storing the program are also possible.

  For example, in the case of a program for recording an image, the program includes an encoding module that encodes content, an encoded data storage module that stores encoded data of encoded content, and a plurality of encoded data of content And a related information generation module for generating related information of encoded data including information indicating a reproduction stop position common to each other, and a related information storage module for storing the generated related information for each content. The encoding module encodes the content under a plurality of encoding conditions, and stores the plurality of encoded data using the encoded data storage module. Further, the related information generation module generates information indicating the reproduction stop position and stores it using the related information accumulation module when any one of the plurality of stored encoded data is stopped.

  An embodiment of a recording medium storing a program and data for realizing an image reproduction function according to the present invention will be described. Specific recording media include CD-ROM (-R / -RW), magneto-optical disk, HD, DVD-ROM (-R / -RW / -RAM), FD, flash memory, memory card, Memory sticks and other various types of ROMs, RAMs, and the like can be assumed. The recording medium is caused to execute the function of the above-described image reproducing apparatus of the present invention, and a program for realizing the image reproducing function is recorded and distributed. This facilitates the realization of the function. Then, the recording medium as described above is mounted on an information processing apparatus such as a computer and the program is read by the information processing apparatus, or the program is stored in a storage medium provided in the information processing apparatus. By reading, the image reproduction function according to the present invention can be executed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,63,65,67 ... Image recording part, 2,64,66,68 ... Image reproduction part, 10 ... Image processing apparatus, 11 ... Recording control part, 12 ... Encoding part, 13,13 '... Content storage part , 14, 14 '... content related information generating unit, 15, 15' ... related information recording unit, 16, 16 '... content related information DB, 17 ... reproduction control unit, 18, 18' ... related information reading unit, 19, 19 '... content data reading unit, 20 ... decoding unit, 21 ... encoded data extraction unit, 22 ... output unit, 31, 40 to 44 ... packets, 32, 35, 37, 47, 48 ... image data, 33, 34 , 36, 38, 39, 45, 46, 49 ... voice data, 32 ', 37', 38 ', 39' ... invalid data, 51-58 ... arrows, 61 ... entry time interval, 62 ... content list reading section 69 Content data recording unit.

Claims (12)

An image processing apparatus in which an image recording unit and an image reproduction unit are connected via a wired or wireless connection,
The image recording unit only comprises Lud over data accumulation hand stage to accumulate a content list including information on a plurality of encoded data and the plurality of encoded data obtained by encoding the content in multiple coding conditions,
Relevant to at least each content as related information regarding a plurality of pieces of encoded data for each content based on the obtained content list and reproduction control means for acquiring the content list from the image recording unit only in the image reproduction unit And related information accumulating means for accumulating encoding condition information and reproduction stop position information.
The playback control unit obtains encoded data of the selected content based on the related information storage related information stored in the unit before Kide over data storage means reproduces the encoded data the acquired or An image processing apparatus characterized by being sent to a network.   2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction control unit presents related information stored in the related information storage unit to a user for each content, and based on the related information for each presented content, An image processing apparatus that allows a user to select encoded data of content.   2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a user stops reproduction of encoded data being reproduced by the image reproduction unit, reproduction stop position information of the encoded data is accumulated in the related information accumulation unit. If not, the reproduction stop position information when the user stopped the reproduction is stored in the related information storage unit, and the reproduction stop position information of the encoded data is stored in the related information storage unit, An image processing apparatus, wherein the playback stop position information stored in the related information storage means is updated with the playback stop position information when the user stops playback. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, when the reproduction stop position information corresponding to the selected coding data is stored in the related information storing means, said reproduction control means, before Kide over data storage An image processing apparatus characterized by acquiring encoded data from the means and acquiring reproduction stop position information of the encoded data from the related information storage means. An image playback device connected to an image recording device via a wire or wirelessly,
Only in the image reproduction device , from the image recording device, reproduction control means for obtaining a content list including information on a plurality of pieces of encoded data encoded with a plurality of encoding conditions for each content, and the acquired content list And related information storage means for storing at least encoding condition information and reproduction stop position information related to each content as related information related to a plurality of encoded data for each content,
The reproduction control means acquires encoded data of the content selected based on the related information stored in the related information storage means from the image recording device, reproduces the acquired encoded data, or stores it in a network. An image reproduction apparatus characterized by being sent out.   6. The image reproduction apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the reproduction control unit presents the related information stored in the related information storage unit to a user for each content, and based on the related information for each presented content, An image reproducing apparatus that causes a user to select encoded data of content.   6. The image reproduction apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the user stops reproduction of encoded data being reproduced by the image reproduction apparatus, reproduction stop position information of the encoded data is accumulated in the related information accumulation unit. If not, the reproduction stop position information when the user stopped the reproduction is stored in the related information storage unit, and the reproduction stop position information of the encoded data is stored in the related information storage unit, An image playback apparatus, wherein the playback stop position information stored in the related information storage means is updated with playback stop position information when the user stops playback. 6. The image reproduction apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the reproduction stop position information corresponding to the selected encoded data is accumulated in the related information accumulation means, the reproduction control means transmits a code from the image recording apparatus. An image reproducing apparatus characterized by acquiring encoded data and acquiring reproduction stop position information of the encoded data from the related information storage means. An image recording apparatus connected to the image reproduction apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8 via a wired or wireless connection,
Only in the image recording apparatus , a plurality of pieces of encoded data obtained by encoding content under a plurality of encoding conditions, and related information related to the plurality of pieces of encoded data, at least encoding condition information and reproduction stop position information related to each piece of content the equipped with Lud over data accumulation hand stage to accumulate a content list to be provided to said image reproducing device for each content,
The image in response to a request from the playback apparatus, before the image recording apparatus characterized by delivering Kide over data stored in the storage means the coded data and the content list to the image reproducing apparatus. An image processing method by an image processing apparatus in which an image recording unit and an image reproduction unit are connected via wire or wirelessly,
Only the image recording unit is provided with a steps of storing the data storing means and a content list including information on a plurality of encoded data and the plurality of encoded data obtained by encoding the content in multiple coding conditions ,
Only the image reproduction unit obtains the content list from the image recording unit, and based on the obtained content list, related information regarding a plurality of pieces of encoded data for each content is associated with at least each content. Storing the encoding condition information and the reproduction stop position information in the related information storage means,
The reproduction control step obtains the encoded data of the selected content based on the related information storage related information stored in the unit before Kide over data storage means, reproducing the acquired encoded data, or An image processing method characterized by being sent to a network. An image reproduction method by an image reproduction apparatus connected to the image recording apparatus via a wire or wirelessly,
A reproduction control step in which only the image reproduction device acquires from the image recording device a content list including information on a plurality of pieces of encoded data encoded for each content under a plurality of encoding conditions, and the acquired content list And, as related information related to a plurality of pieces of encoded data for each content, at least encoding step information related to each content and reproduction stop position information are stored in related information storage means,
The reproduction control step acquires encoded data of the content selected based on the related information stored in the related information storage unit from the image recording apparatus, and reproduces the acquired encoded data or stores it in a network. An image reproduction method characterized by sending the image. An image recording method by an image recording apparatus connected to the image reproduction apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8 via wire or wirelessly,
Only the image recording apparatus includes a plurality of pieces of encoded data obtained by encoding content under a plurality of encoding conditions, and related information relating to the plurality of pieces of encoded data, at least encoding condition information and reproduction stop position information related to each piece of content. a step of storing the data storing means and a content list to be provided to the image reproducing apparatus to each content, in response to a request from the previous SL image reproducing apparatus, stored previously Kide over data storage means Sending the encoded data and the content list to the image reproduction apparatus.

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