JP5319941B2 - Terminal device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately control the quality of contents to be displayed on a screen, in accordance with sight information included in the contents, without requiring complicated user operation. <P>SOLUTION: A cellular phone 10 (CPU 100) for displaying on a display section 106 contents including sight information extracts specific sight information from the contents to be displayed on the display section 106 (steps S45, S47, S49, S51, S55, S57, S59, S61) and based on the extracted specific sight information (step S62), the quality of contents to be displayed on the display section 106 is selected (steps S63, S64). Then, the contents with the selected quality are displayed on the display section 106 (steps S74, S77, S84, S87, S114, S117, S144, S147). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal device and a program, and more particularly to a terminal device that displays content on a display unit and a program therefor.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a terminal device such as a mobile phone has a function of receiving and displaying content (for example, a television program or commercial broadcast (CM)) transmitted from a broadcasting station by a broadcast wave, and a content (video, etc.). Some have a function of receiving and displaying content transmitted from a device to be provided via a communication network.

  In the plurality of contents described above, the quality of each content varies. For example, in content transmitted by broadcast waves, digital broadcast transmission and analog broadcast transmission, digital broadcast transmission using a wide band (for example, full segment broadcasting) and narrow band transmission (for example, 1 segment broadcasting) ) And the like, content of different quality is transmitted.

  In addition, content transmitted from a device that provides content (for example, a video distribution station device that uses a network) is different, such as transmission using a high-speed communication line and transmission using a low-speed communication line. Quality content is sent.

Under such a background, for example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a digital broadcast receiving device as a conventional terminal device. This apparatus has a function of switching to a higher-quality digital broadcast when reception sensitivity is improved during reception of a low-quality digital broadcast or when commercial broadcast starts or ends.
JP-A-2005-277873

  However, in such a conventional digital broadcast receiving apparatus, the quality of content can be controlled in accordance with the switching of reception sensitivity and commercial broadcasting, but visual information included in the content, that is, video and characters, etc. There is a problem in that it cannot be appropriately controlled according to information that can be recognized by the user's vision.

For example, in the case of content in which many small characters are displayed on the screen of the terminal device, if control is performed to receive and display low-quality content, when displaying on the screen There was a problem that these characters were not clearly displayed.
In the above-described digital broadcast receiving apparatus, in order to display this content clearly, it is necessary to switch to high-quality content by a user operation, which is complicated for the user. In particular, there is a drawback that the complexity increases when the content must be switched many times during the display of the content (during playback).

  Therefore, the present invention provides a terminal device and a program therefor that can appropriately control the quality of content displayed on a screen according to visual information included in the content without requiring a complicated operation by the user. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a terminal device that displays content including visual information on display means, and extracts specific visual information from content displayed on the display means. Means, a selection means for selecting the quality of the content displayed on the display means based on the specific visual information extracted by the extraction means, and a plurality of contents having different qualities are stored in advance. Control means for reading the content of the quality selected by the selection means and displaying the content on the display means .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an extraction step of extracting specific visual information from the content displayed on the display means in a computer mounted on a terminal device that causes the display means to display content including visual information ; and the extraction A selection step for selecting the quality of the content displayed on the display means based on the specific visual information extracted in the step, and a plurality of contents of different qualities are stored in advance, and the selection step includes And a control step of reading content of the selected quality and displaying the content on the display means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately control the quality of displayed content in accordance with visual information included in the content without requiring a complicated operation by the user.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
A. Configuration (1) System Configuration FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram for explaining an overview of main functions provided in a mobile phone 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, a mobile phone 10 (corresponding to a terminal device) has a mobile radio communication function and a mail transmission / reception function. When a call is made using the mobile radio communication function, the mobile phone 10 makes a call to the originating exchange SW via the base station BS where the location is registered. In response to the outgoing call, the originating side exchange SW switches the terminating side exchange SW based on the called party number (subscriber number) and location registration information inquired from a subscriber registration server (not shown) provided in the wireless communication network RN. Call. The called-side exchange SW calls the called-side mobile phone 10 (not shown) via the called-side base station BS, and when the called-side side responds to the incoming call in response, the calling-side exchange SW and the called-side exchange are switched. A link with the SW is established and communication becomes possible.

  A mail transmitted from the mobile phone 10 using the mail transmission / reception function is sent to a mail server (not shown) connected to the Internet 11 via a base station BS, an exchange SW, and a gateway server (not shown) provided in the wireless communication network RN. (Shown). The mail server is configured to send mail to the mobile phone 10 having the destination mail address through the reverse route.

  The mobile phone 10 can also transfer information to and from a plurality of servers via the Internet 11 (corresponding to a communication network) connected to the wireless communication network RN. Although many servers are connected to the Internet 11, only the moving image distribution server 12 is shown here. The moving image distribution server 12 stores various moving images (contents) including visual information (video or text) and audio in a hard disk or the like, and distributes or downloads moving images to a terminal accessed via the Internet 11. It has become. The moving image distribution server 12 prepares data files of different qualities for moving images having the same story, depending on the line speed and the like. The video distribution server 12 constitutes an apparatus that provides content.

The mobile phone 10 also has a function of receiving and outputting a broadcast signal (broadcast of a TV program) from the TV station 30 (broadcast station). The broadcast signal is radiated in a radio wave form from a transmission antenna (not shown) of the transmission base station 31 connected to the television station 30. In this case, the transmission base station 31 transmits a full-segment high-quality broadcast and a single-segment low-quality broadcast with broadcast waves having different bandwidths. Here, full-segment broadcasting refers to a case where content is transmitted using a 12-segment broadcasting area under the ISDB-T standard, and generally has high image quality and sound. On the other hand, 1-segment broadcasting refers to a case where content is transmitted using only a one-segment broadcasting area under the same standard, and generally has low image quality and sound quality. Of course, the present invention can be applied even when broadcasting in another standard such as DVB.
As described above, this is a system in which a plurality of different contents including visual information are transmitted for each system from various base stations having different systems to the mobile phone 10.

(2) Configuration of Mobile Phone 10 Next, the configuration of the mobile phone 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 2, the mobile phone 10 includes a CPU (central control unit) 100 therein, and the CPU 100 controls the operation of each unit in accordance with a signal supplied from the operation unit 107 or the like. In particular, the CPU 100 controls the television broadcast communication unit 104 or the wireless communication unit 103 so as to switch reception of television programs or moving images having different qualities according to predetermined conditions, and controls the display unit 106 accordingly.

  The ROM 101 includes a program area and a data area. Various programs executed by the CPU 100 are stored in the program area of the ROM 101. In addition to the above-described various functions, the various programs here include a main routine, a television function process, a quality selection process, a television program control process, a moving image function process, a moving image control process, a reproduction process, and a content control process, which will be described later Application programs are included. In the data area of the ROM 101, basic information such as various parameters for quality selection as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is stored in addition to control data referred to by a predetermined program.

The RAM 102 is used as a work area, and temporarily stores data when the CPU 100 performs control operations, information on TV programs and distribution videos as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and FIGS. 5 and 6. Temporary storage of control parameters as shown.
In this case, the CPU 100 reads basic information such as various parameters from the ROM 101 and expands the data area on the RAM 102, and the expanded state is as shown in FIG. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2, the RAM 102 has areas of a television program storage unit 102a, a distribution video storage unit 102b, an extraction method storage unit 102c, and a quality condition storage unit 102d, and stores necessary information in each area. .
The CPU 100 controls the operation of each part of the apparatus based on various programs stored in the ROM 101 and uses the RAM 102 as a work area.
Here, the CPU 100, the ROM 101, and the RAM 102 realize the functions of an extraction unit, a selection unit, and a control unit.

The storage unit of the RAM 102 will be described in detail. The TV program storage unit 102a stores information about the TV program and the content of the program as actual data as shown in FIG. 3, and information necessary for the TV program includes, for example, a program ID, Each item of title (program name), broadcast date and time, program information, and actual data (high quality, low quality) is stored. Actual data is the content actually broadcast. In the classification of actual data, high quality means a program of quality transmitted in full segments, and low quality means a program of quality transmitted in one segment. The program information is object information such as a performer in a television program and a telop displayed in the program, and may be configured as separate program information with high quality and low quality.
As described above, the television program storage unit 102a is configured to be able to store content of different quality.

As shown in FIG. 4, the distribution video storage unit 102b stores distribution video content as information and actual data related to the distribution video, and information necessary for the distribution video includes a video ID, a title (video name), a distribution date and time, Stores each item of video information and actual data (high quality, low quality). The actual data is the content of the moving image that is actually distributed.
In the actual data classification, high quality means a high quality video as in the case where the broadcast is transmitted in full segments, and low quality means the same as in the case where the broadcast is transmitted in one segment. A low quality video. The moving image information is object information such as a performer in a distributed moving image and a telop displayed in the moving image, and may have a structure in which high-quality and low-quality separate moving image information is provided.
As described above, the distribution moving image storage unit 102b is configured to be able to store contents of different qualities.
The TV program storage unit 102a and the distribution moving image storage unit 102b constitute storage means.

As shown in FIG. 5, the extraction method storage unit 102c stores an extraction method for extracting specific visual information from the content of a television program or a distribution video. Here, as specific visual information, a character (character size, number of characters) and a face (face size, number of faces) to be described later with reference to FIG. 6 are assumed, and character recognition is performed as a method for extracting these visual information. Parameters such as face recognition, program information, and moving picture information are used. The setting flag takes a value of “1” or “0”. When the setting flag = “1”, extraction is performed by applying the extraction method shown in FIG. 5, and when the setting flag = “0”, extraction is performed. It corresponds to not.
In the example shown in FIG. 5, since the setting flag = “1” at the time of character recognition and face recognition, characters and faces included in the content of the TV program or the distribution video are subjected to character recognition processing or face recognition processing. Extracted.
The extraction method is set by the user by operating the operation unit 107. Alternatively, the extraction method may be set in advance in the ROM 101 as basic information.
When setting the setting flag, only one of the extraction methods shown in FIG. 5 may be “1”, or both of the extraction methods may be “1”.

As shown in FIG. 6, the quality condition storage unit 102d stores quality condition information for selecting the quality for specific visual information included in the content of a television program or a distribution video. Specific visual information includes parameters such as character size, number of characters, face size, number of faces. If each parameter is, for example, character size, a high quality is selected when it is less than a predetermined length (cm). The extraction method. If the number of characters is larger than the predetermined number of characters, the high quality is selected. If the face size is less than the predetermined length (cm), the high quality is selected. The extraction method is such that high quality is selected when the number is greater than the number.
The content of the quality condition is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 6, and other quality conditions may of course be adopted.
The setting flag takes a value of “1” or “0”, which corresponds to the fact that the quality condition of setting flag = “1” is applied and the quality condition of setting flag = “0” is not applied. When setting the setting flag, only one of the visual information shown in FIG. 6 may be “1”, or a plurality of pieces of visual information may be “1”. The quality condition is set by the user by operating the operation unit 107. Alternatively, the quality condition may be set in advance in the ROM 101 as basic information.

Returning to FIG. 2, the configuration of the mobile phone 10 will be further described. In FIG. 2, the radio communication unit 103 exchanges data with the base station BS via the antenna ANT1 under the control of the CPU 100 during data communication. For example, the mobile phone 10 receives content transmitted from the moving image distribution server 12 (moving image distribution) from the base station BS via the Internet network 11 and the wireless communication network RN. The wireless communication unit 103 also outputs the voice data received and demodulated via the antenna ANT1 to the CPU 100 during a voice call, while high-frequency amplifying the transmission signal obtained by modulating the voice data supplied from the CPU 100 to the antenna ANT1. To send.
The TV broadcast communication unit 104 receives and demodulates a TV broadcast signal transmitted by a broadcast wave via the antenna ANT2 in accordance with a channel selection instruction given from the CPU 100, and receives a received signal (video / TV audio when receiving TV). Data) is output to the CPU 100. The television broadcast communication unit 104 receives a high-quality broadcast transmitted in a full segment and a low-quality broadcast transmitted in one segment almost simultaneously.
The wireless communication unit 103 and the television broadcast communication unit 104 constitute a receiving unit.

The audio signal processing unit 105 includes a speaker SP and a microphone MIC. The audio data supplied from the CPU 100 is D / A converted into an audio signal to generate sound from the speaker SP, or an audio signal output from the microphone MIC is converted into audio data. Or A / D-converted and supplied to the CPU 100. Also, in the audio signal processing unit 105, when the television broadcast communication unit 104 is performing a reception operation, the TV audio data supplied from the CPU 100 is D / A converted and then amplified and emitted from the speaker SP.
The display unit 106 is configured by a color liquid crystal panel including a display driver and a backlight, for example. The display driver receives display data (contents) including visual information from the CPU 100 under the control of the CPU 100 and displays the display data on the display unit 106. For example, an e-mail transmission / reception screen, a received broadcast screen, and a moving image distribution screen are displayed, and various information on other necessary screens (such as a setting screen by the user) is displayed on the display unit 106. On the other hand, the backlight receives power from a power circuit (not shown) under the control of the CPU 100 and irradiates the display unit 106.

The operation unit 107 includes an alarm, an address book, FIG. 5 in addition to various operation keys such as a power switch for turning on / off power, an off-hook / on-hook switch operated at the start / end of a call, and a character input switch also serving as a dial switch. 6, various operation buttons for setting the extraction conditions of FIG. 6, etc., and signals corresponding to the operation of these keys and buttons are generated and output to the CPU 100.
The RTC 108 generates a real time clock used for timekeeping and timer interruption.
The notification unit 109 includes a sound speaker 110, an LED 111, and a vibration motor 112. Under the control of the CPU 100, the sound speaker 110 generates a sound or signal sound necessary for notification, and the LED 111 is lit or blinks for various notifications. Further, the vibration motor 112 vibrates a vibration generating unit (not shown) based on a vibration generation command signal from the CPU 100, and thereby the mobile phone 10 vibrates.

B. Operation of Embodiment Next, the operation of the above-described embodiment will be described.
(1) Main Routine FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the main routine of the mobile phone 10 according to the present embodiment. The following processing is executed by the CPU 100 (the same applies to subroutines).
First, the CPU 100 determines whether or not an ON operation has been performed on the power supply of the mobile phone 10 (step S1). If the power-on operation is not performed, the process waits in this step. If the power-on operation is performed, the process proceeds to step S2 to perform standby processing. The standby process is a process that makes it possible to accept various operations and makes it possible to wait for an incoming call or the like.

  Next, in step S3, it is determined whether or not a setting operation has been performed. When the setting operation has been performed, a setting process is performed (step S4). The setting process includes setting an extraction method for extracting specific visual information from the content of the TV program or distribution video (see FIG. 5), and quality for specific visual information included in the content of the TV program or distribution video. There are various settings related to the mobile phone 10 such as setting of quality conditions for selecting the user (see FIG. 6), setting of mail, setting of address book, and the like. The setting process is performed based on a signal when the user operates the operation unit 107. When the setting process in step S4 is completed, the process returns to step S3.

  When the setting operation is not performed in step S3, it is determined whether or not the TV function activation operation is performed (step S5). The TV function activation operation is an operation in which the user operates the operation unit 107 in order to exhibit a function of receiving a television broadcast from the television station 30 transmitted via the transmission base station 31. If the TV function activation operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S6 to execute a TV function processing subroutine. Details of the TV function processing will be described later in a subroutine shown in FIG. When the TV function process is completed, the process returns to step S3.

  On the other hand, if NO in step S5, it is determined whether or not a moving image function activation operation has been performed (step S7). The activation operation of the moving image function is that the user operates the operation unit 107 in order to exhibit a function of receiving a distributed moving image from the moving image distribution server 12. If a moving image function activation operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S8 to execute a moving image function processing subroutine. Details of the moving image function processing will be described later with reference to a subroutine shown in FIG. When the moving image function process ends, the process returns to step S3.

  If NO in step S7, it is determined whether or not a reproduction operation has been performed (step S9). The reproduction operation is one in which the user operates the operation unit 107 to reproduce the content stored in the TV program storage unit 102a and the distribution moving image storage unit 102b of the RAM 102. If a reproduction operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S10 to execute a reproduction processing subroutine. Details of the reproduction process will be described later in a subroutine shown in FIG. When the reproduction process ends, the process returns to step S3.

  If NO in step S9, it is determined whether a power-off operation has been performed (step S11). The power-off operation is that the user operates the operation unit 107 to turn off the power switch of the mobile phone 10. If the power-off operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S12 to execute the power-off process. Thereby, the power of the mobile phone 10 is turned off, and the processing of the CPU 100 ends. When the power-off process ends, the main routine ends.

  On the other hand, if the power-off operation has not been performed, it is determined in step S13 whether another operation has been performed. Other operations are user operations such as a call operation (such as a telephone call) and creation or transmission of mail. If another operation has been performed, other processing according to the operation content is performed (step S14). When the other processes are completed, the process returns to step S3. If no other operation is performed in step S13, the process immediately returns to step S3.

(2) Television Function Processing FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of television function processing.
In the television function process, the CPU 100 first performs a channel setting process (step S21). This is to automatically set the channel (that is, the previous reception channel) displayed on the previous display unit 106. Next, the process proceeds to step S22, and the reception of the TV program of the channel set in the channel setting process is started. In this process, the high-quality broadcast transmitted in the full segment of the set channel and the low-quality broadcast transmitted in one segment are received almost simultaneously via the television broadcast communication unit 104. However, what is displayed on the display unit 106 is broadcast of any one quality. As described above, when receiving, instead of receiving both high-quality and low-quality broadcasts at the same time, for example, the broadcast of the quality that was displayed last time is decided to be received. May be.

Then, the process proceeds to step S23 to execute a quality selection process subroutine. The quality selection process is a process for selecting which broadcast of high quality or low quality is to be selected, and details thereof will be described later in a subroutine shown in FIG. Before the quality selection process, a display start process for starting display of the television program received in step S22 may be performed on the display unit 106, but in this embodiment, the display is performed via a TV program control process subroutine described later. This is started (steps S74, 77, 84, 87).
After the quality selection process, a television program control process subroutine is executed in step S24. The TV program control process is a predetermined process corresponding to the high quality and the low quality selected in the quality selection process of FIG. 9, and details thereof will be described later with reference to subroutines shown in FIGS.

In step S25, it is determined whether a recording operation has been performed. That is, it is determined whether or not a recording operation for recording a television program received as a user operation has been performed. When the recording operation is performed, the process proceeds to step S26 to acquire both low-quality and high-quality television programs, and further proceeds to step S27 to store these television programs in the television program storage unit 102a, and then proceeds to step S23. Return.
On the other hand, if no recording operation has been performed, it is determined in step S28 whether a channel switching operation has been performed. That is, it is determined whether or not a switching operation for switching a channel received as a user operation has been performed. When the switching operation is performed, the process of setting to the switched channel is performed in step S29, and the process proceeds to step S30 to switch to receive the TV program of the set channel. Reception on the new setting channel is performed with the quality displayed until immediately before.

If the switching operation in step S28 has not been performed, it is further determined in step S31 whether a television function ending operation has been performed. That is, as a user operation, it is determined whether or not an operation for ending a television function for receiving and displaying a television program has been performed. When the TV function end operation is performed, the reception of the TV program is ended (step S32), the display is ended (step S33), and the process is returned to the main routine of FIG.
On the other hand, if the TV function ending operation has not been performed, the process proceeds to step S34 to determine whether any other operation has been performed. The other operations mentioned here are user operations such as a quality switching operation and a volume setting operation, for example. If these various operations are performed, processing corresponding to the operations is performed in step S35, and the process returns to step S23. If not, the process immediately returns to step S23.

(3) Quality Selection Process FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the quality selection process (step S23) described above.
In the quality selection process, the CPU 100 first reads out the extraction method table of FIG. 5 in step S41, and then determines in step S42 whether or not the setting flag 1 is set for the parameter “extracted by character recognition and face recognition”. to decide.
If “extracted by character recognition and face recognition” = 1, the quality condition table of FIG. 6 is further read in step S43 to determine whether or not the setting flag 1 is set for each visual information.

In step S44, it is determined whether the setting flag 1 is set for the visual information “character size”. If flag 1 is set, the character size is extracted by the character recognition process (step S45). More specifically, characters are recognized by collating, for example, a predetermined character pattern with respect to the display content to be displayed on the display unit 106 of the received TV program or the display content currently displayed on the display unit 106. Then, the size of the recognized character is extracted. In step S45, since the display has not yet started at the time of the initial process, the process of step S45 is performed on the display content to be displayed accurately. On the other hand, if the second loop to the quality selection process is entered through steps S74, S77, S84 or S87 of the subsequent television program control process, the display contents to be displayed or the currently displayed display The process of step S45 is performed on the content.
The quality selection process is not only a television function process but also a process associated with a moving image function process and a reproduction process described later. In the case of these later-described processes, the basis for extracting the character size is a moving picture being played by streaming or a television program or moving picture being played after storage. The same applies to the following.

When the character size is extracted in step S45 or when “character size” is not 1 in step S44, the CPU 100 determines whether or not the setting flag 1 is set for the visual information “number of characters” in step S46. When the flag 1 is set, the number of characters is extracted by performing the character recognition process on the display content to be displayed from now on or the display content currently being displayed (step S47).
If the number of characters is extracted in step S47 or if "number of characters" is not 1 in step S46, it is determined in step S48 whether the setting flag 1 is set for the visual information "face size". If flag 1 is set, the face size is extracted by face recognition (step S49). Specifically, the face is recognized by collating with a predetermined face pattern, and the size of the recognized face is extracted.
If the face size is extracted in step S49 or if "face size" is not 1 in step S48, it is determined in step S50 whether the setting flag 1 is set for the visual information "number of faces". If flag 1 is set, the number of faces is extracted by face recognition (step S51). That is, the number of faces is extracted by recognizing faces and counting how many faces are recognized.
As described above, the CPU 100 performs image recognition processing such as character recognition and face recognition on the content displayed on the display unit 106, and through these processing, the size (character size, face size) or number (number of specific objects) The number of characters and the number of faces) are extracted as specific visual information.

When the number of faces is extracted in step S51, if “the number of faces” is not 1 in step S50 or “extracted by character recognition and face recognition” is not 1 in step S42, “extract from program information and video information” In step S52, it is determined whether the setting flag 1 is set for the parameter.
If “extract from program information and moving picture information” = 1, the quality condition table of FIG. 6 is further read in step S53 to determine whether or not the setting flag 1 is set for each visual information.

First, in step S54, it is determined whether or not the setting flag 1 is set for the visual information “character size”. When the flag 1 is set, the character size is extracted from the program information / moving picture information related to the display content to be displayed or the display content currently displayed on the display unit 106 (step S55). Specifically, the character size information is extracted from the program information in the television program table of FIG. 3 (in the case of a television program) or the movie information in the distribution movie table of FIG. 4 (in the case of a distribution movie).
If the character size is extracted in step S55 or if “character size” is not 1 in step S54, the CPU 100 determines whether or not the setting flag 1 is set for the visual information “number of characters” in step S56. When the flag 1 is set, the number of characters is extracted from the display information to be displayed from now on or the program information or the moving image information on the display content currently displayed (step S57).
If the number of characters is extracted in step S57 or if "number of characters" is not 1 in step S56, it is determined in step S58 whether the setting flag 1 is set for the visual information "face size". If the flag 1 is set, the face size is extracted from the program information or moving picture information (step S59).
If the face size is extracted in step S59 or if “face size” is not 1 in step S58, it is determined in step S60 whether the setting flag 1 is set for the visual information “number of faces”. When the flag 1 is set, the number of faces is extracted from the program information or moving picture information (step S61).
As described above, the CPU 100 determines specific visual information (character size, number of characters, face size, number of faces) from content information (program information, moving image information) including information related to content displayed on the display unit 106. ).

When the number of faces is extracted in step S61, if “number of faces” is not 1 in step S60 or “extracted from program information and moving image information” is not 1 in step S52, the extracted visual information corresponds to the quality. Whether or not the contents of the condition are satisfied is determined in step S62. If the condition is satisfied, the low quality is selected if the high quality is not satisfied (steps S63 and S64).
Specifically, if the extracted visual information is the size of the specific object (character size, face size), it is determined whether or not it is less than a predetermined size defined as the condition content in the quality condition table of FIG. If the size is smaller than the predetermined size, YES is determined in step S62.
On the other hand, if the extracted visual information is the number of specific objects (number of characters, number of faces), it is determined whether or not the number is larger than a predetermined number specified in the quality condition table. If YES, sometimes NO and step S62 if NO.
When there are a plurality of pieces of extracted visual information, it is desirable to determine “YES” (satisfy) when any one piece of visual information satisfies the contents of the corresponding quality condition.
When high quality or low quality is selected in steps S63 and S64, the quality selection process subroutine is terminated and the process returns to the television function process.
As described above, the CPU 100 selects the quality of content displayed on the display unit 106 based on the extracted specific visual information. If the extracted specific visual information is the size of a specific object, determine whether it is smaller than a predetermined size, and if it is the number of specific objects, determine whether this is larger than a predetermined number, Choose high quality or low quality.

(4) Television Program Control Processing FIGS. 10 and 11 are flowcharts respectively showing an example of a subroutine of the above-described television program control processing (step S24). After the subroutine of FIG. 10 is described, the subroutine of FIG. 11 will be described.
(4.1) First Example In FIG. 10, the CPU 100 first determines whether or not high quality has been selected in step S71. Accordingly, it is determined whether high quality or low quality is selected in the quality selection process of FIG.
If YES in step S71 (that is, if high quality is selected), it is subsequently determined in step S72 whether a high quality television program is being displayed.
If YES in step S72, the process returns to the television function process routine of FIG. 8 without performing any special process.
If NO in step S72, that is, if a low-quality television program is being displayed or nothing is being displayed, acquisition of a high-quality television program is started in step S73, and the television program acquired in step S74 is displayed. Start. Here, to start "acquisition" of high-quality TV programs, start acquiring full-segment TV programs from the currently receiving full-segment TV (high-quality) TV programs and one-segment TV (low-quality) TV programs. It means to do. After step S74, the process returns to the television function process routine of FIG.

On the other hand, if NO in step S71 (that is, if low quality is selected), it is subsequently determined in step S75 whether a low quality television program is being displayed. If YES in step S75, the process returns to the TV function process routine of FIG. 8 without performing any special processing. If NO in step S75, acquisition of a low-quality TV program is started in step S76, and in step S77. After the display of the acquired television program is started, the routine returns to the television function processing routine of FIG. Note that since the television program has not been displayed at the time of the initial determination in step S72 or S75, the determination in step S72 or S75 is always NO.
As described above, the CPU 100 acquires the content of the quality selected in steps S63 and S64 of the quality selection process from the content received by the television broadcast communication unit 104. That is, the content of the quality selected from the received plurality of quality content is acquired. Then, the acquired content is displayed on the display unit 106.

(4.2) Second Example As described above, FIG. 11 is also a subroutine example of the television program control process (step S24). FIG. 11 is different from FIG. 10 in that full-seg broadcasting (high quality) and one-seg broadcasting (low quality) are not received simultaneously, but are selectively switched and received.
That is, in the routine of FIG. 10, the television broadcast communication unit 104 selects and acquires either one on the assumption that full-segment broadcasting (high quality) and one-segment broadcasting (low quality) are received simultaneously. Then the routine was materialized. On the other hand, in the routine of FIG. 11, the TV broadcast communication unit 104 does not receive full-segment broadcasting (high quality) and one-segment broadcasting (low quality) at the same time, but selectively switches only one of them. It is assumed that a routine is disclosed in accordance with this configuration.

Specifically, the CPU 100 determines whether or not high quality is selected in step S81.
Whether YES or NO in step S81, it is subsequently determined whether a high-quality or low-quality television program is being displayed (steps S82 and S85).
In response to the determination in steps S82 and S85, reception of a high-quality or low-quality television program is started in steps S83 and S86, and display is started in response to these in steps S84 and S87. At the time of the first determination in step S82 or S85, the answer is always NO, which is the same as in the case of step S72 or S75.
In this manner, the CPU 100 causes the television broadcast communication unit 104 to receive the quality content selected in steps S63 and S64 of the quality selection process. That is, the television broadcast communication unit 104 is controlled to receive only the selected quality content. Then, the received content is displayed on the display unit 106.

(5) Movie Function Processing FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of movie function processing (step S8).
In the moving image function processing, after the user performs a moving image specifying operation for specifying a moving image to be received in step S91, the CPU 100 determines whether a streaming playback operation instruction has been issued according to the user operation or a download operation is performed. It is determined in step S92 or S104 whether an instruction has been issued. The CPU 100 waits in step S92 until an instruction on the reception format of streaming or download is issued (NO in steps S92 and S104).

In the case of YES in step S92 (when a streaming playback operation is performed as a user operation), the user performs an operation of specifying the received quality in step S93. For example, a quality designation instruction is issued through a selection screen or pull-down menu for high image quality or low image quality displayed on the operation screen. The quality may be specified by individually determining parameters such as the amount of data per second and the number of frames.
After this user operation, the CPU 100 starts receiving the moving image having the quality specified in step S94, and starts displaying the moving image received in step S94-2. In the present embodiment, unlike the previous television function process, the display start process is performed before the quality selection process. However, like the television function process, the display start process may be performed only in the moving image control process described later. Good.
Subsequently, the quality selection process described above is performed in step S95, and the moving image control process is further performed in step 96. In short, the moving image control process is a moving image version of the previous television program control process, and will be described later in detail with reference to FIG.

Subsequent to step S96, the CPU 100 determines in step S97 whether a moving image switching operation has been performed as a user operation. The moving image switching operation is an operation for switching moving images to be streamed.
When the moving image switching operation is performed, the moving image switched in step S98 is received, and the process returns to step S95.
On the other hand, if the moving image switching operation has not been performed, it is determined whether or not a moving image function end operation has been performed in step S99. If not, it is determined whether or not another operation has been performed in step S102. The other operations here refer to quality switching operations and volume setting operations as user operations. If another operation has been performed, other processing according to the operation content is performed (step S103). When the other processes are completed, the process returns to step S95. If no other operation is performed in step S102, the process immediately returns to step S95.
When the moving image function end operation in step S99 is performed, the reception of the moving image is ended (step S100), the display is ended (step S101), and the process is returned to the main routine.

If YES in step S104 (when a download operation is performed), the CPU 100 receives low-quality and high-quality moving images (step S105), and stores the received moving images in the distribution moving image storage unit 102b (step S106). Return processing to the main routine.

(6) Moving Image Control Process FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the moving image control process (step S96).
The video control process is a video version of the TV program control process, but the TV program is simultaneously broadcast in both full and one-segment broadcasting, whereas streaming video distribution usually only requires the video of the required quality. There is a difference of delivery. Therefore, in accordance with this difference, the moving image control process has a process content corresponding to the second example of the television program control process.

That is, the CPU 100 determines whether or not high quality is selected in step S111.
If YES in step S111, it is determined whether a high-quality moving image is being received (step S112). In the case of YES in step S112, the reception of high-quality moving images is started immediately in the case of NO (step S113), display is started (step S114), and the processing is returned to the moving image function processing routine.
On the other hand, if NO in step S111, it is determined whether a low-quality moving image is being received (step S115). In the case of YES in step S115, reception of a low-quality moving image is started immediately in the case of NO (step S116), display is started (step S117), and the process is returned to the moving image function processing routine.
As described above, the CPU 100 causes the wireless communication unit 103 to receive the content having the quality selected in steps S63 and S64 of the quality selection process. That is, the wireless communication unit 103 is controlled to receive only the selected quality content. Then, the received content is displayed on the display unit 106.

(7) Reproduction Process FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the reproduction process (step S10). The reproduction process is a process for reading out and reproducing the television program or moving image stored in step S27 or S106.
First, the user performs an operation of designating content to be reproduced in step S121. That is, an operation for designating content to be reproduced is performed from the television program stored in the television program storage unit 102a and the moving image stored in the distributed moving image storage unit 102b.
In step S122, the user performs a designation operation as to whether to reproduce with low quality or high quality.
In response to these user operations, the CPU 100 reads the content designated by the reproduction content designation operation with the quality designated by the quality designation operation in step S123, and starts displaying the read content (step S123-2). . The display start process may be performed only in the content control process as in the case of the television function process.

  Subsequently, the CPU 100 performs quality selection processing in step S124 (see FIG. 9), and performs content control processing in step S125. Here, the content control processing refers to processing for performing predetermined control according to the processing content of the quality selection processing, and details will be described later with reference to FIG.

Next, it is determined in step S126 whether or not a content switching operation has been performed as a user operation. The content switching operation is an operation for switching content to be reproduced.
When this content switching operation is performed, the content switched in step S127 is read, and the process returns to step S124.
On the other hand, if the content switching operation has not been performed, it is determined in step S128 whether or not a playback end operation has been performed. If not, it is determined in step S131 whether or not another operation has been performed. The other operations here refer to quality switching operations and volume setting operations as user operations. If another operation has been performed, other processing according to the operation content is performed (step S132). When the other processing ends, the process returns to step S124. If no other operation is performed in step S131, the process immediately returns to step S124.
When the reproduction end operation in step S128 is performed, the content reading is ended (step S129), the display is ended (step S130), and the process is returned to the main routine.

(8) Content Control Processing FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of content control processing (step S125).
First, the CPU 100 determines whether or not high quality is selected in step S141.
If YES in step S141, it is determined whether high-quality content is being read (step S142). In the case of YES in step S142, reading of high-quality content is started immediately in the case of NO (step S143), display is started (step S144), and the process is returned to the reproduction processing routine.
On the other hand, if NO in step S141, it is determined whether low-quality content is being read (step S145). In the case of YES in step S145, reading of low-quality content is started immediately in the case of NO (step S146), display is started (step S147), and the process is returned to the reproduction processing routine.
As described above, the CPU 100 reads the content of the quality selected in steps S63 and S64 of the quality selection process from the content stored in the television program storage unit 102a or the distribution video storage unit 102b, and the read content. Is displayed on the display unit 106.

According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the mobile phone 10 (CPU 100) that displays content including visual information on the display unit 106 extracts specific visual information from the content displayed on the display unit 106. The quality of the content displayed on the display unit 106 is selected based on the extracted specific visual information, and the content of the selected quality is displayed on the display unit 106.
Accordingly, the quality of the displayed content can be appropriately controlled according to the visual information included in the content without requiring a complicated operation by the user.

In addition, for example, the following effects (a) to (k) can also be achieved.
(A) The quality of displayed content can be appropriately controlled according to the size of a specific object included in the content. For example, the quality can be controlled according to the size of characters included in the content and the size of the performer's face.
(B) When the size of a specific object included in the content is small, the specific object can be displayed more clearly by displaying higher-quality content.
(C) The quality of the displayed content can be appropriately controlled according to the number of specific objects included in the content. For example, the quality can be controlled according to the number of characters included in the content and the number of performers' faces.
(D) When the number of specific objects included in the content is large, the specific objects can be displayed more clearly by displaying higher quality content.
(E) Since the specific visual information is extracted by recognizing the image from the visual information of the content, the specific visual information is extracted even if the content does not have the content information including the information related to the content. Can do.
(F) Since specific visual information is extracted from content information including information related to content, it is not necessary to perform advanced processing such as image recognition.
(G) Since the selected quality content is received and displayed, it is possible to prevent the reception of unnecessary quality content.
(H) Since contents with different qualities are received and the selected quality contents are acquired and displayed from the received contents, the process of switching the quality of the received contents becomes unnecessary.
(I) For content transmitted by broadcast waves, the quality of the displayed content can be appropriately controlled according to visual information included in the content.
(J) For the content transmitted from the content providing apparatus, the quality of the displayed content can be appropriately controlled according to the visual information included in the content.
(K) For the stored content, the quality of the displayed content can be appropriately controlled according to the visual information included in the content.

The above-described embodiment of the present invention is merely an example as the best embodiment, and is only described for better understanding of the present invention. As can be understood by those skilled in the art, various modified embodiments of the above embodiment are possible.
For example, the terminal device is not limited to a mobile phone. Any terminal device such as a personal computer, a PDA, a digital camera, a music player, or a portable game machine may be used.
In addition, although the television broadcast is one-segment and full-segment, it is not limited to the combination of these qualities, and any combination of different qualities such as digital broadcast and analog broadcast may be used.
The content quality selection process is sequentially performed, but may be performed only when the display is started, or may be performed every predetermined time (for example, 1 minute). Further, the timing may be specified by the user. Further, at the start of display, specific visual information may be extracted from all pieces of content information of the content, and the quality selection process may be performed collectively.
The extraction method and quality conditions can be arbitrarily set (selected) by a user from a plurality of items, but may be simply fixed to one item.
The content is not limited to a television program or a moving image. For example, it may be any content including visual information such as an electronic book.
In addition, in the quality condition, the actual length when the contents of the character size and the face size are displayed as “** cm (centimeter)” is not limited to the actual length such as centimeter or millimeter. . It may be an actual area, a percentage of the screen such as “percentage of the screen size”, or a number of pixels displayed such as “** pixels”. Any condition may be used as long as the size can be expressed.
Neither the inventor nor the applicant intends to exclude these other embodiments or variations from the scope of the claims, and seeks protection by the scope of the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram for explaining an overview of functions of a mobile phone 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the mobile phone 10. FIG. 3 is a configuration example of a television program table stored in the television program storage unit 102 a of the RAM 102. FIG. 4 is a configuration example of a distribution moving image table stored in the distribution moving image storage unit 102 b of the RAM 102. FIG. 5 is a configuration example of an extraction method table stored in the extraction method storage unit 102 c of the RAM 102. FIG. 6 is a configuration example of a quality condition table stored in the quality condition storage unit 102d of the RAM 102. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the main routine. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the television function process. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the quality selection process. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the TV program control process. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the television program control process (modified example). FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the moving image function process. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the moving image control process. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the reproduction process. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the content control process.

Explanation of symbols

10 Mobile phone (terminal equipment)
100 Central control unit (CPU) (extraction means, selection means, control means)
101 ROM (extraction means, selection means, control means)
102 RAM (extraction means, selection means, control means)
103 wireless communication unit (reception means)
104 TV broadcasting communication section (receiving means)
106 Display section (display means)

Claims (2)

A terminal device for displaying content including visual information on a display means,
Extraction means for extracting specific visual information from the content displayed on the display means;
Selection means for selecting the quality of content displayed on the display means based on the specific visual information extracted by the extraction means;
A terminal device comprising: control means for storing a plurality of contents of different qualities in advance, reading out the contents of quality selected by the selection means from the contents, and displaying the contents on the display means . In a computer mounted on a terminal device that displays content including visual information on a display means,
An extraction step of extracting specific visual information from the content displayed on the display means;
A selection step of selecting the quality of the content displayed on the display means based on the specific visual information extracted in the extraction step;
A control step of storing a plurality of contents of different qualities in advance, reading out the contents of the quality selected in the selection step from among them, and displaying them on the display means;
A program characterized by having executed.

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