JPH10150629A - Transmission and reception system, receiver and transmitter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the video of the content of answering the request of a viewing form different for each viewer while suppressing a program producing cost. SOLUTION: The side of a transmitter 1 hierarchical video information of a program by units of the scene group and the scene and sets an index picture and a digest picture to form structured video information to broadcast the program. As the side of a receiver 100 reads information from video information accumulated in an accumulator 102 according to the user's favor of a viewing form by the unit of structured video information and displays an edited program prepared like this on a display 105, video of a content satisfying the user's request for a viewing form is viewed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transmission / reception system,
A transmission / reception system that can handle video information structured in accordance with a reception device, and a transmission device, particularly according to a specific significance,
The present invention relates to a receiving device and a transmitting device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, broadcasting is carried out by a broadcasting system using terrestrial waves, broadcasting satellites, communication satellites, and CATV. In the above broadcasting system,
Broadcasting is usually performed in units of “programs” as video information. Then, the viewer who owns the receiving apparatus selects a desired program from among these programs supplied from the transmitting side, receives, selects, and views the program.

[0003]

By the way, the viewer does not always want to view all the contents of a desired program, but feels that only specific contents and information in the program need to be viewed. This situation is common. Specifically, for example, in the case of sports news, it is only necessary to be able to view only a certain type of sports among various sports broadcasted in a program, or to be able to view only information contents regarding a certain specific team. This is the case. In some cases, the contents of programs such as dramas and movies are not grasped in detail at the beginning and end of the program, but rather, it is sufficient to grasp the outline contents at the end. Such a viewer's request can naturally be present in a program of another genre.

However, in the current broadcasting system, the broadcast is supplied in units of programs as described above. In this case, the number of broadcast programs and the number of channels to be broadcasted become enormous, which requires a lot of cost and management labor, which is not practical.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a broadcasting system capable of responding to a request for a viewing mode that is considered to be different for each viewer at a low cost as much as possible. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transmission / reception system, a reception device, and a transmission device that can perform such operations.

For this reason, for a predetermined unit of video information,
Structured processing means for performing a structuring process so as to be able to be managed in a structured unit that is hierarchically set in a predetermined stage according to a predetermined significance, and capable of transmitting video information having a structure that can be managed in a structured unit A transmitting device having a transmitting means is provided, a receiving means capable of receiving video information, a storing means capable of storing the video information received by the receiving means, and reading out the video information stored in the storing means. Thus, a transmission / reception system is constructed by providing a receiving device including an editing unit capable of editing video information using a structured unit.

[0007] Further, a receiving means capable of receiving a predetermined unit of video information to be transmitted, and a structured unit in which the predetermined unit of video information received by the receiving means is hierarchized and set in predetermined steps according to a predetermined significance. A structuring processing means for performing structuring processing so as to be manageable in a storage unit, a storage means capable of storing video information which can be managed in a structuring unit, and reading out the video information stored in the storage means, The receiving apparatus is provided with editing means capable of editing video information using the conversion unit.

Further, structuring means for performing structuring processing so that video information of a predetermined unit can be managed in structuring units which are hierarchically set in predetermined steps according to predetermined significance, and this structuring processing means By editing the video information having a structure manageable by the above-mentioned structured unit by the structured unit, an editing means capable of constructing the video information of the program unit; The transmission device is configured to include a transmission unit that can transmit the video information by assigning it to a predetermined channel.

The above-mentioned structuring processing means can set a group structuring unit formed by grouping a plurality of specific structuring units according to a predetermined significance as a structuring unit, and In addition to being configured to be able to be divided and set in structured units, the above-mentioned editing means is configured to be capable of editing video information using group structured units. Further, the structuring processing means may set a representative still image representing the content of the video information for the predetermined structured unit as the structuring unit, and perform the structuring process so that the representative still image can be managed. The editing unit is configured to be capable of editing video information using the representative still image unit, and the structuring processing unit is further configured as a structuring unit for a predetermined structuring unit. It is possible to set a representative moving image representing the content of the video information and to perform a structuring process so that the representative moving image can be managed, and the editing unit uses a representative moving image unit. It was configured so that video information could be edited.

For example, when the structure of one program is considered in terms of the contents, a scene unit in which a certain group of contents is expressed is defined as a "scene". When defined as a "scene group" that expresses a set of contents, one program can be regarded as being formed by hierarchical structured unification of these "scenes" and "scene groups". Become. In the configuration described above, a certain program is formed by editing these scenes or scene groups on the transmitting side (broadcasting station side) or the receiving side (viewer side) so as to match the content according to the user's viewing mode. From the original contents, it is possible to newly create “video information” having contents that meet the requirements of different viewing modes for each viewer. In addition, if a representative screen is set as a still image or a moving image for an image in a program, and editing is performed using the representative screen, video information with sufficient content to allow an overview of the program can be easily created. .

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The following description will be made in the following order. <1. Structural concept of program according to present embodiment> (1-a. Scene and scene group) (1-b. Example of structure of ID data area) (1-c. Example of setting index screen) (1-d. Setting of digest screen) Example) <2. Example of broadcast system as present embodiment><3. Video information recording method to storage device>

<1. Structural Concept of Program in the Present Embodiment> (1-a. Scene and Scene Group) In the present embodiment, although it differs depending on the form of a plurality of broadcasting systems described later, the transmitting device or the receiving device It is possible to perform a process for converting the video information for each program into “structured video information”. As a structured unit of the program video information in the present embodiment, for example, one program is defined as a “scene” which is a scene unit in which a certain set of contents is expressed, and the structured unit is a scene unit. Can be managed in scene units by adding a predetermined ID to. In addition, a scene unit expressing a more comprehensive set of contents is defined as a "scene group" by a set of a plurality of scenes, and a predetermined ID is added to the structured unit which is a scene group unit. By doing so, it is structured so that it can be managed in scene group units. Further, as a structuring unit of a program in the present embodiment, a “index screen” in which the content of the program is simply expressed by a still image, and the content of the program by a still image or a moving image are schematically illustrated. "Digest screen" that can be grasped
Are defined and set.

First, an example of structuring a program in units of scenes and scene groups will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A shows a program which is assumed to have a broadcasting time zone having a time length of the period T0 to T1 along the time t. This program is a comprehensive 1st level hierarchy
The image is divided and set in units of scene groups that are considered to have a common content. Although the number of divisions per scene group for one program varies depending on the content of the entire program, in this case, as shown in FIG. Are divided into 12 scene groups. Further, each scene group is divided into scene units according to a difference in contents in the scene group as a second stage of hierarchization. In this case, for example, FIG.
As shown in FIG.
Am is divided into 13 scenes. Further, depending on the content, one scene group may be formed by one scene, and as an example, a state in which the scene I shown in FIG. 1B is directly used as the scene group Ia shown in FIG. It is shown. As a specific relation between the scene group and the scene, for example, if the program is sports news, the scene group is divided into news contents relating to a certain sports genre or team, and the scene is divided into the sports or the specific sports. In a team, a setting can be considered in which the content is divided and set for each content related to information such as game results and players. However, this is merely an example, and what level (hierarchy) of the content is made to correspond to the scene group and the scene for each program is not particularly limited here. In addition, each scene usually has a time length of at least 0.5 seconds or more, so that one scene is formed by a plurality of fields (or frames). FIG. 1D shows, as an example, that the scene Aj is formed by a plurality of field groups of fields (Aj1 to Ajn (n is a variable indicating the last field number in the scene)), and the scene Ia Is formed by the field groups Ia1 to Ian.

The structuring of a program based on scenes and scene groups described with reference to FIG. 1 is merely an example. For example, in FIG. It is also conceivable to use a multi-stage. Alternatively, it is conceivable to divide and set a program only by a scene without setting the concept of a scene group.

(1-b. Example of Structure of ID Data Area) As shown in FIG. 1, in order to manage video information structured by a hierarchy composed of at least a scene group and a scene for a program, this structure is used. For example, ID data having a data structure as shown in FIG. 2 is added to the converted video information. In FIG. 2A,
The structure of an ID data area in which ID data for managing structured video information is stored is shown. This ID data area is added, for example, for each field image. In the ID data area shown in FIG. 2A, a time stamp area AR is sequentially arranged from the head position.
1, program ID area AR2, scene group ID area AR3, scene ID area AR4, in-scene field number area AR5, and description area AR6. In each of these areas, a data length (number of bits) set according to various conditions is set.

In the time stamp area AR1, for example, data indicating the elapsed time from the broadcast start time T0 where the current field corresponding to the ID data area is located is stored. In addition, the day, hour, minute,
It is also conceivable to store the second information as data.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the program ID area AR2 stores program ID data which is assigned differently for each program including the current field and identifies the program. The region of the program description flag F _p which indicates the presence or absence of a program description to be described later is provided. The program ID only needs to be able to be identified on a program basis. For example, a code number set differently for each program may be used. The information may be coded.

In the scene group ID area AR3, as shown in FIG. 2C, an area for storing a scene group ID for specifying a scene group including the current field, and the presence / absence of a scene group description described later. The area of the flag F _sg shown is provided. As the scene group ID, the order of the scene groups from the start of the program may be indicated by a numerical code, but in addition, the time from the start of the program to the start of the scene group may be indicated by a code. It is also possible to do.

In the scene ID area AR4, FIG.
As shown in the figure, an area for storing a scene ID for specifying a scene including the current field and an area for a flag F _sg indicating the presence or absence of a scene description to be described later are provided. As the code of the scene ID, for example, the order in which the current scene is located in the scene group may be indicated by a numerical code. In addition, the time of the start of the current scene starting from the start of the scene group It is conceivable to code the information. It is also conceivable that information on the start time of the current scene is coded starting from the program start point, and the relationship between the scene group and the current scene is specified by separately set table data. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the order of each scene from the start of the program is coded, and the relationship between the scene group and the current scene is specified by separately set table data. In the field number area AR5 in the scene,
The data of the field number in the scene indicating the order of the current field in the scene is stored.

The description area AR6 is divided into a program description area AR6-1, a scene group description area AR6-2, and a scene description area AR6-3, for example, as shown in FIG. Is done.

Program description area AR6-1
Stores, for example, program description data for showing an outline of the contents of the program. Specific contents of the program description data include a program genre (sports, variety, drama, etc.), a program title, a program creator name, a program broadcaster (broadcasting station).
Information such as names and main performers is stored based on codes according to a predetermined format.

The scene group description area AR6-2 stores scene group description data for specifically indicating the contents of the scene group. For example, if the scene group in a sports news is a scene group of a video having contents related to baseball, at least information indicating that the genre of the sport is "baseball" needs to be stored as a code. In the scene description area AR6-3, scene description data for specifically indicating the contents of the scene is stored. For example, if the program is sports news and the scene is a video of a game related to a specific team, at least the content indicating the team name information and the game result information needs to be coded. Become.

The description area AR6
Does not necessarily need to be provided corresponding to all the field images, since it generally indicates the contents of the program, scene, and scene group as described above. Therefore, the program description area AR6-1, the scene group description area AR6-2, and the scene description area AR6-3, which form the description area AR6, start from the beginning of the program, scene group, and scene, respectively. To be added to predetermined multiple fields
It is conceivable not to provide a description area in the remaining fields thereafter. This allows
It is possible to reduce the amount of data to be handled by the broadcasting system according to the present embodiment.

The form of the ID data is not limited to the form shown in FIG. For example, with respect to each field image, it is conceivable to prepare an additional data table in which management information corresponding to each field is separately stored while only adding an ID for enabling identification of the field, In this case, for example, the amount of data as management information to be inserted into field-based image data can be reduced.

The method of adding a signal (ID data signal) in the ID data area as shown in FIG. 2 is suitable for converting a video / audio signal of a program into a transmission signal or storing it in a storage device. When encoding by digital signal processing according to a predetermined format so as to have a data format, it may be added to video / audio signal data according to a predetermined rule. For example, specifically, it is conceivable to store an ID data signal coded as shown in FIG. 2 in a packet header for transmission. Further, it may be inserted so as to be stored in the header area of each field of the video signal data which is bit stream data. Further, the storage device may be configured to store the data in the sector header of the recording medium of the storage device.

On the other hand, when an attempt is made to add an ID data signal when the video information of the program is an analog video / audio signal, as shown in FIG. It is possible to overlap.

FIG. 3A shows a vertical blanking period in a video signal of a program. The ID data signal is obtained during a period in which a horizontal synchronization pulse indicated by a broken line P is obtained in this vertical blanking period (FIG. 3B).
(Shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 3) so as to be inserted into a predetermined horizontal scanning period (portion enclosed by a broken line Q in FIG. 3B). FIG. 3C shows a state where the predetermined horizontal scanning period enclosed by a broken line Q is enlarged and the ID data signal is actually superimposed.

<1-c. Example of Setting Index Screen> In the present embodiment, an index screen and a digest screen can be selected and set in a program as structuring of video information. The index screen and the digest screen are “representative screens” for simply or roughly grasping the contents of video in units of programs, scene groups, or scenes. In the present embodiment, the index screen is defined as a still image which is assumed to have information such that a title or content can be simply expressed in a program unit, a scene group unit, or a scene unit. In addition, the digest screen is defined as a still image or a moving image having information on the degree of roughly (for example, roughly streaking) the contents of a video in a program, a scene group, or a scene, in more detail than the index screen. .

First, an example of setting an index screen in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that, since the index screen is a still image, it is preferable that the index screen is formed of one frame image from the viewpoint of image quality, for example. The description will be made assuming that the index screen is set for each field image.

FIG. 4 shows an example of setting an index screen for each scene. FIG. 4 shows three examples. Note that the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 denote the same parts as those in FIG. The first example is a scene Aj (FIG. 4)
This is shown as an index screen setting for (c)). In this case, the scene Aj is formed by a plurality of field images of the field images Aj1 to Ajn (n is a variable indicating the last field number in the scene) as shown in FIG. The first field image Aj1 is displayed on the index screen INDX.
It is set as. That is, of the field images forming the scene, the first field image is selected as the index screen. The second example is shown as an index screen setting for scene Ia (FIG. 4C). Assuming that this scene Ia is formed by a plurality of field images Ia1 to Ian as shown in FIG. 4D, an arbitrary intermediate image selected from these field images according to a predetermined rule Fee field image Iak (k corresponds to the field number of the selected field image, and 1 <
k <n) is set as the index screen INDX. That is, among the field images forming the scene, an intermediate field image is selected as an index screen. The third example is a scene La (FIG. 4)
This is shown as an index screen setting for (c)). Assuming that the scene La is formed by a plurality of field images of the field images La1 to Lan as shown in FIG. 4D, in this case, the last field image Lan is set as the index screen INDX. I have. In this example, of the field images forming the scene, the last field image is selected as an index screen.

FIG. 5 shows an example of setting an index screen for each scene group. The same parts as those in FIG. The first example is shown as an index screen setting for scene group A. The scene group A shown in FIG.
As shown in (c), it is formed of 14 scenes Aa to Am. Assuming that the first scene Aa in these scene groups is formed by a plurality of field images Aa1 to Aan as shown in FIG. 5D, here, among these field image groups,
The first field image Aa1 is displayed on the index screen IND.
X is selected and set. That is, in the first example, when an index screen is set for a scene group, first, among scene groups forming a scene group, a first scene is selected, and among field image groups forming the first scene, Select the first field image as the index screen. In this case, as a result, of the field images forming the scene group, the first field image is selected as the index screen.

The second example is shown as an index screen setting for scene group I. The scene group I shown in FIG. 5B is a scene group I as shown in FIG.
It is assumed that the scene is formed by 14 scenes a to Im. Then, here, first, the tenth scene Ij is selected as an intermediate scene selected from these scene groups according to a predetermined rule. Then, the scene Ij is divided into the field image groups Ij1 to Ij1 as shown in FIG.
jn, the first field image Ij1 is used as the index screen INDX.
Select and set. That is, in the second example, among scene groups forming a scene group, first, an intermediate scene is selected based on a predetermined rule, and among the field image groups forming the intermediate scene, the first field image is used as an index screen. select.

The third example is shown as an index screen setting for a scene group L. The scene group L shown in FIG. 5B is composed of the scene L as shown in FIG.
It is assumed that the scene is formed by 14 scenes a to Lm. Then, the last scene Lm is first selected from these scene groups, and assuming that this scene Lm is formed by the field image groups Lm1 to Lmn as shown in FIG. Screen IN
The first field image Lm1 is selected and set as DX. Therefore, in the third example, the last scene is selected from the scene group forming the scene group, and the first field image is selected as the LNN from the field image group forming the last scene.

FIG. 6 is different from the setting method of FIG.
This shows an example of setting an index screen for another scene group unit, and the same parts as those in FIGS. The first example is shown as an index screen setting for scene group A. In this case, in the scene group A, first,
The first scene Aa (shown in FIG. 6B) is selected. Assuming that the leading scene Aa is formed by a plurality of field images Aa1 to Aan as shown in FIG. 6D, here, a field image group is selected according to a predetermined rule. Index screen IND for intermediate field image Aak (1 <k <n)
It is set as X. That is, in the first example, when an index screen is set for a scene group, first, among scene groups forming a scene group, a first scene is selected, and among field image groups forming the first scene, An intermediate field image is selected and set as an index screen.

The second example is shown as an index screen setting for scene group I. Here, the scene Ia forming the scene group I shown in FIG.
To Im in accordance with a predetermined rule. If it is assumed that the scene Ijk is formed by the field images Ija to Ijn as shown in FIG.
An intermediate field image Ijk selected from Ijn according to a predetermined rule is set as an index screen INDX. That is, in the second example, among the scene groups forming the scene group, first, an intermediate scene is selected based on a predetermined rule. The screen is selected.

The third example is shown as an index screen setting for a scene group L (shown in FIG. 6B). Here, among the scene groups forming the scene group L, first, the last scene Lm (shown in FIG. 6C)
Select Assuming that this scene Lm is formed by the field image groups Lm1 to Lmn as shown in FIG. 6D, here, the index screen I
An intermediate field image Lmk selected according to a predetermined rule is selected and set as NDX.

FIG. 7 shows an example of setting an index screen for still another scene group unit, which is different from the setting method described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 above. The same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

The first example is shown as an index screen setting for scene group A. In this case, in the scene group A, first, the first scene Aa (shown in FIG. 7B) is selected. Assuming that the first scene Aa is formed by a plurality of field images Aa1 to Aan as shown in FIG. The screen is set as the screen INDX. Therefore, in the first example, when setting an index screen for a scene group, first, among scene groups forming a scene group, the first scene is selected, and among field image groups forming the first scene, The last field image is selected and set as an index screen.

The second example is shown as an index screen setting for scene group I. Here, first, the scene Ia forming the scene group I shown in FIG.
To Im in accordance with a predetermined rule. Assuming that the scene Ijk is formed by the field images Ija to Ijn as shown in FIG.
The last field image Ijn among Ijn is set as the index screen INDX. That is, in the second example, an intermediate scene is first selected from the scene groups forming the scene group based on a predetermined rule, and the last field image is indexed from the field image group forming the intermediate scene. The screen is selected.

The third example is shown as an index screen setting for a scene group L (shown in FIG. 7B). Here, among the scene groups forming the scene group L, first, the last scene Lm (shown in FIG. 7C)
Select Assuming that this scene Lm is formed by the field image groups Lm1 to Lmn as shown in FIG. 7D, here, the index screen I
The last field image Lmk selected according to a predetermined rule is selected and set as NDX.

In the above description with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7, an example of setting an index screen for each scene or scene group has been described. However, the setting of an index screen for each program is made in accordance with the description with reference to FIGS. It is possible to set. Also, FIG.
The index screen setting rule for the scene unit or the scene group unit illustrated in FIG. 7 is merely an example, and it is of course conceivable to select and set according to another rule.

<1-d. Example of Setting Digest Image> Next, an example of setting a digest image in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that there are two types of digest images: those based on still images and those based on moving images. In this case as well, since the minimum unit of a program has been treated as a field, the digest image will also be referred to as a field image unit. The description will be made assuming that this is set by the following.

FIG. 8 shows a case where one digest image of a still image is selected from one scene as an example of the selection setting of the digest image. The same reference numerals are given to the same portions as those in FIGS. And the description is omitted. In this case, three examples are shown as selection examples of digest images for the scene Ij shown in FIG. 8C.

The first example is shown in FIG. 8D. In this case, of the group of field images forming the scene Ij, the first field image is selected as a still image digest image DGs. . The second example is shown in FIG.
As shown in (e), among the group of field images forming the scene Ij, an intermediate field image selected according to a predetermined rule is selected as a still image digest image DGs. In the third example, as shown in FIG. 8F, the last field image is selected as a still image digest image DGs from the group of field images forming the scene Ij.

The digest image selection rule as shown in FIG. 8 is used when the information obtained from one still image in the scene is sufficient to roughly grasp the contents of the scene. Can be applied to Specifically, when the contents of the scene are such that a work such as a painting or a sculpture is displayed as a still image, the contents of the scene can be sufficiently expressed only by one field image extracted from the scene. Since it can be grasped, it is sufficient to select a digest image as shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 shows a case where a plurality of digest images of still images are selected from one scene as an example of selection setting of a digest image for each scene.
The same parts as those in FIG. Also in this case, four examples are shown as selection examples of a digest image using a still image for the scene Ij shown in FIG. 9C.

The first example is shown in FIG. In this case, among the group of field images forming the scene Ij, first, the first field image is selected as a digest image DGs by a still image, and thereafter, the selected field image is fixed at a predetermined interval according to a predetermined rule. Are set as digest images DGs, DGs, DGs,... The second example is shown in FIG. 9 (e). Here, in the field image group forming the scene Ij, first, the first field image is selected as a still image digest image DGs. A field image that is considered to have information suitable as a digest image is selected and set as digest images DGs, DGs, DGs,. In the digest image setting rule in this case, the number of digest images DGs actually set for one scene is appropriately changed according to the content of the scene, and is not particularly limited. The third example shown in FIG. 9F is similar to the first example, but in this case, the first field image is not selected as the first digest image DGs in the scene, and a predetermined Starting from an image, field images selected at predetermined intervals according to a predetermined rule are set as digest images DGs, DGs, DGs,. The fourth example is shown in FIG. Although the fourth example is based on the second example, the first field image is not particularly selected as the digest image DGs of the still image, but is simply selected as the digest image according to the content of the scene. The preferred field images are appropriately digest images DGs, DGs,
DGs,... Are selected.

In consideration of the role that the digest image should play, it is better to select and set the digest image as in the second example (FIG. 9 (e)) or the fourth example (FIG. 9 (g)). This is preferable because the viewer can easily understand the contents of the scene. However, as will be described later, when the receiving apparatus receives a normal program and subsequently performs structuring processing on the video information of the program on the receiving apparatus, the first example (FIG. 9D) ) Or the fourth example (FIG. 9)
If the setting method of (f)) is adopted, the digest image can be automatically set easily.

FIG. 10 shows a selection example of a digest image for each scene, in which one digest image is selected from one scene as a moving image.
8 and 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. Also in this case, three examples are shown as selection examples of a digest image by a moving image for the scene Ij shown in FIG. 9C. Here, as shown in FIG. 10D, an example in which the moving image information of the first part of the scene Ij (that is, a plurality of continuous field images) is selected and set as a digest image DGm of a moving image, and FIG. An example in which the moving image information of the intermediate part selected according to the predetermined rule is selected and set as the digest image DGm in the scene Ij as shown in e), and the last part in the scene Ij as shown in FIG. An example is shown in which the moving image information is selected and set as the digest image DGm. In the digest image setting method shown in this figure, the length of one digest image (the number of field images) may be appropriately changed and set according to the content of a scene or the like. However, as a simpler method, it is conceivable that the number of field images corresponding to a length appropriate as a digest image is set in advance and fixed.

FIG. 11 shows a case where a plurality of digest images composed of a still image and a digest image composed of a moving image are combined and selected from one scene as an example of selection setting of a digest image for each scene. The same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description is omitted. The first example is shown in FIG. In this case, of the group of field images forming the scene Ij,
First, a leading continuous field image is selected as a digest image DGm of a moving image, and thereafter, digest images DGs, DGs, DGs... Of still images are selected and set as appropriate according to, for example, the contents of a scene. . A second example is shown in FIG. 11 (e), where first,
The leading continuous field image is selected as the digest image DGm of the moving image, and thereafter, the digest image DGm of the moving image is appropriately selected. The third example is shown in FIG.
1 (f). In this case, first, a leading continuous field image is converted to a digest image D of a moving image.
Although Gm is selected, the digest image DGs based on a still image and the digest image DGm based on a moving image are appropriately selected in the following. As described above, by combining the digest image DGs based on a still image and the digest image DGm based on a moving image as a method for selecting a digest image, for example, even when the change of the image is relatively large within one scene, the contents of the scene can be grasped. A digest image having information that makes the process easier can be obtained.

In order to manage the index screen and the digest image set as described above as structured video information, management information indicating the setting result of the index screen and the digest image for each program is required. Becomes The following information can be considered as the management information for the index screen and the digest image. First, whether or not an index screen and a digest image are set for a predetermined area at the head of video information in a program unit, regardless of whether the program is for a program, a scene, or a scene group in the program. Is provided. Thereby, at the time of video information management, by monitoring a predetermined area at the beginning of the video information of a program, it is possible to identify whether or not an index screen and a digest image are set for the program, for example,
There is no need to search for each field image.

Next, an index screen and a flag indicating the presence or absence of a digest image set for each program, each scene group, and each scene are required. These flags are the IDs shown in FIG. It can be provided so as to be added to the data area. First, an index screen set for each program unit and a flag indicating the presence or absence of a digest image are additionally provided in the program ID area AR2 shown in FIG. 2B.
In addition, an index screen set for each scene group and a flag indicating the presence or absence of a digest image are additionally provided in the program ID area AR2 shown in FIG. Furthermore, an index screen set for each scene group and a flag indicating the presence / absence of a digest image may be additionally provided in the program ID area AR2 shown in FIG. This makes it possible to identify whether or not an index screen and a digest image are set for each hierarchy of a program, a scene, and a scene group.

A flag indicating whether or not each field image is set as an index screen or a digest image is provided so as to be inserted at a predetermined position in the ID data area shown in FIG. This makes it possible to identify a field image set as an index screen or a digest image by referring to the ID area data for each field image. Further, for example, when a plurality of index screens or digest images are set in one structural unit, information on the order (number) of the index screens or digest images in the structural unit is stored, In the case of a digest image according to the above, information indicating a field number in the digest image is stored.

However, when all of the above information is stored in the ID data area, since the ID data area is provided for each field image, the amount of data to be handled greatly increases. It is possible. For this reason, it is preferable to separately prepare table data storing necessary information regarding the above-described index screen and the field image set as the digest image so as to correspond to the actual field image data. .

The form of the index display by the index screen selected and set as described above and the form of the digest display by the digest image can be considered in various ways, and are not particularly limited. In the case of display, it is conceivable that a specific still image is continuously displayed, or when a plurality of images are selected, frame-by-frame display is performed in a slide show at a predetermined timing. Also, when a moving image is handled as a digest display, it is naturally conceivable to perform it at a normal reproduction speed, and it is also possible to display a moving image in a fast forward search.

<2. Example of Broadcast System According to the Present Embodiment> As a form of the broadcast system according to the present embodiment, for example, first to fourth broadcasts shown in FIGS.
Can take any of the following forms. FIG. 12 conceptually illustrates a configuration example of the first mode of the broadcast system according to the present embodiment. In the transmission device 1 shown in FIG. 1, a video source 2, a transmission video encoder 3, a transmission buffer 4,
And a transmission modulator 5 are shown. Video source 2
Are various video materials used for program production in the transmission device 1. The video source 2 includes information of an audio signal which is assumed to be attached to the video signal.

The transmission video encoder 3 takes in the video source 2 as a program, for example, and performs structuring processing on the video information of this program. The structuring process referred to here is the process described so far, in which video information as a program is hierarchized by scene groups and scenes, and an index screen and a digest image are set. Also,
The transmission video encoder 3 performs required digital signal processing on the video source 2 to be structured and has a data format suitable for accumulation in the transmission buffer 4. The necessary encoding process is performed so that the format is suitable for transmission by the device 5. At this stage of the encoding process, if necessary, processing such as compression is also performed.

The transmission buffer 4 stores video information obtained by the transmission video encoder 3 as data. The transmission buffer 4 includes a disk-shaped recording medium such as a hard disk, an optical disk, and a magneto-optical disk, which can be accessed randomly, and a driver corresponding thereto. Alternatively, a large-capacity semiconductor memory may be provided. In other words, it is assumed that a medium having a large capacity and capable of random access and easily realizing high-speed access is used, and the type thereof is not particularly limited. The video information stored in the transmission buffer 4 is appropriately supplied to the transmission modulation device 5 according to, for example, a broadcast program.

The transmission modulating device 5 is provided with a predetermined broadcasting system (for example, terrestrial wave, communication satellite , CATV, etc.)
Modulation corresponding to. The output of the transmission modulation device 5 is transmitted and output as a broadcast wave via a predetermined broadcast / communication medium M.

In the receiving device 100, the tuner / decode circuit 101, the storage device 102, the video editing processing unit 1
03, a control unit 104, a display 105, and a remote controller receiving unit 106 ("remote controller" is hereinafter abbreviated as "remote controller").

The tuner / decode circuit 101 receives / selects a transmission wave transmitted from the transmission device 1 and performs a demodulation process corresponding to the transmission modulation device 5 on the received signal. The video information output from the transmission device 1 in this manner is supplied to the storage device 102 and stored as data. If the data stored in the storage device 102 is the one in which the video information, which is the received signal, is structured on the transmission device side,
This structured video information is stored as data.

In this case, the storage device 102 is not particularly limited. For example, like the transmission buffer 4 described above, the storage device 102 includes, for example, a random access disk-shaped recording medium and a driver corresponding thereto. Alternatively, it may be configured to include a large-capacity semiconductor memory or the like. However, also in this case, since the storage device 102 needs to store a relatively huge amount of image data,
It is preferable to use a medium that has as large a capacity as possible, enables random access, and easily realizes high-speed access.

The video editing processing unit 103 includes the storage device 102
The required information is read out in structured units by referring to various IDs stored in the ID data area (see FIG. 2) from among the video information stored in the. Perform editing processing so as to conform to the contents of In this specification, a group of video information formed by such an editing process is also treated as a "program", and is referred to as an "edited program" to distinguish it from a normal program. Also, the video editing processing unit 103
Has a circuit unit for performing required digital signal processing on video information and accompanying audio signals, and a circuit unit for performing decoding processing for converting video data of a predetermined format into a video signal for display. It is said.

The display 105 is a video editing processing unit 1
Image display is performed on the basis of the video signal supplied from the control unit 03. In this case, the display device constituting the display 105 may be a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), a liquid crystal display panel, or the like, and is not particularly limited.

The control section 104 controls the operation of various functional circuit sections in the receiving apparatus 100. Note that, in this figure, illustration of signal lines that should be between the control unit 104 and the functional circuit units in the other receiving apparatuses 100 is omitted.

Remote control receiving section 106 receives a command signal transmitted from a remote controller (not shown). In the present embodiment, the command signal includes a command signal for instructing the contents of an “edit program” edited and created by the video editing processing unit. The received command signal is transmitted to the control unit 104, and the control unit 10
In step 4, necessary control processing is executed appropriately based on the transmitted command signal.

In such a broadcasting system, the transmitting side:
For example, a broadcast program is transmitted and output as "structured video information" by attaching an ID or table data according to a structured hierarchy or contents.

The viewer (reception side) arbitrarily selects and edits a required scene or scene group from the “structured video information” received and stored, and
It can be viewed as an edited program. For example, when the original broadcast program is sports news, and a viewer wants to extract and view only information related to baseball from the sports news, he collects and edits scenes or scene groups of contents related to baseball, thereby editing only baseball. An edited program from which information is obtained is created and displayed on the display 105.
Can be viewed. In addition, an edited program can be created by selecting an image set as an index screen or a digest image in a program, thereby easily realizing a viewing mode for grasping the outline of the program. it can.

The operation for creating such an edited program is as follows. For example, from among the video information of a certain program that has been stored in the storage device 102, the content that the viewer wants to view (information).
Is input by a predetermined operation on a remote controller or the like. This command signal is transmitted to the control unit 104 via the remote control receiving unit 106. Upon receiving the command signal, the control unit 104 reads the video information from the storage device 102 in a structured unit required in accordance with the content requested by the viewer in the program, for example. 103. At the time of reading the video information, the control unit 104 refers to the data in the ID data area described with reference to FIG. 2, the above-described index screen, the table data indicating the digest image setting state, and the like to obtain necessary video information. Will be determined. Then, from the storage device 102 to the video editing processing unit 103
The video information in the required structured unit supplied to the computer is subjected to an editing process under the control of the control unit 13, and the "edited program"
It is created as a unit of video information. On this occasion,
The video editing processor 103 decodes video information of the “edited program” from a data format suitable for recording in the storage device 102 to a video signal that can be displayed on the display 105 (if necessary). For example, data expansion processing is included), and necessary digital AV signal processing accompanying the processing is performed.

FIG. 13 conceptually shows a configuration example of the second embodiment of the broadcasting system according to the present embodiment.
The same parts as those in FIG. 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. In this case, for example, V
A video source S supplied from an existing AV device such as a TR, and video information in an unstructured normal program unit via a predetermined broadcast / communication medium M are supplied. In this case, a multi-channel broadcast signal is transmitted from the transmission side. The video source S is directly supplied to the display 105 and can be viewed in units of ordinary programs, and is also supplied to the video information encoder 202. On the other hand, broadcast / communication media M
Is received / selected by the multi-channel simultaneous reception tuner 201. The video information of each program received / selected by the multi-channel simultaneous reception tuner 201 is supplied to a video information encoder 202.

The video information encoder 202 first operates as shown in FIG.
Can be realized by adopting almost the same configuration as the transmission video encoder 3 in the transmission apparatus 1 shown in FIG. The video information for each program supplied to the video information encoder 202 is transmitted to the storage device 102 by structuring processing (addition of ID data and table data accompanying the structuring) described above, required digital AV signal processing, and , And encodes it into the storage device 102 as structured video information.

In the broadcasting system of the embodiment shown in this figure, both the structuring process for video information of a program and the editing process for creating an edited program according to the viewer's preference are performed on the receiving device side. First, as the structuring process performed on the receiving device side, the video information of the program is stored in the storage device 1.
02, or in a state where the video information of the program has been recorded in the storage device 102, for example, a viewer performs marking while operating the remote controller while watching the program displayed on the display. The structure unit (scene group, scene,
It is conceivable to set an index screen and a digest image).

On the other hand, for example, during the operation of recording the video information of the program in the storage device 102, the program is automatically structured in accordance with a predetermined rule set in advance. It is conceivable to configure as follows. For example, if a scene group or a scene is to be automatically set, for example, an image motion detection technique known so far is applied, and an image motion exceeding a threshold set under a predetermined condition is applied. It is conceivable to set a scene group or a scene break when (change) is obtained, or to monitor the continuity of audio accompanying an image and set a scene group or a scene break based on this.

The index screen and the digest image can also be automatically set by applying a selection setting method having a predetermined regularity as described above with reference to FIGS. . Also, when setting the index screen and the digest image so that the contents of each structured unit are represented as much as possible, in this case as well, monitor the movement of the image and the continuity of the sound, and consider it to be the main one. This can be realized by selecting possible field image units or image units.

FIG. 14 conceptually shows a configuration example of a third embodiment of the broadcasting system according to the present embodiment.
12 and 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. The transmission video encoder 13 provided in the transmission device 10 shown in this figure has a function for editing structured video information added to the configuration of the transmission video encoder 3 shown in FIG. It is assumed that.
In the case of the transmission video encoder 13, the video source 2
Is processed so as to be structured video information, and edited programs having different contents can be created based on the structured video information. Accordingly, the transmission video encoder 13 supplies the transmission source buffer 4 with the video information of the program from which the edited program was created and the various edited programs created. Note that the contents of the edited program created by the receiver in the broadcasting system, the number of programs, and the like are based on the determination of the transmission (program creator) side in consideration of, for example, the needs of the viewer.

In the transmitting apparatus 10, a multi-channel processing section 11 is provided between the transmitting buffer 4 and the transmitting modulator 5. As a result, the video information of the program (including the edited program) stored in the transmission buffer 4 is converted into a multi-channel from the transmission device 10 and output from the transmission modulation device 5. In other words, it is possible to simultaneously transmit a certain original program and a plurality of edited programs created by deriving from this program through multiple channels.

The receiving apparatus 300 includes a tuner / decode circuit 101, a control unit 104, a display 105, and a remote control receiving unit 106. in this case,
The viewer transmits, for example, a command signal (user request information) indicating the content that the viewer himself / herself wants to view for the program being broadcast by operating a remote controller. The control unit 104 analyzes the user request information received via the remote control receiving unit 106, and controls the tuner / decode circuit 101 so as to select a channel corresponding to the content indicated by the user request information. As a result, a program or an edited program of the content desired by the viewer is displayed on the display, and the viewer can view the program or the edited program. To realize such a viewing system, at the time of program transmission, an information signal such as an ID indicating the content of each program (channel) is converted into a format corresponding to user request information on the receiving device side at the time of program transmission. Although it is necessary to transmit the information signal together, such an addition of the information signal may be performed by the transmission video encoder 13 of the transmission device 10, for example.

FIG. 15 conceptually shows a configuration example of a fourth embodiment of the broadcasting system according to the present embodiment.
12 to 14 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. The transmission device 20 shown in this figure can be regarded as a configuration provided by adding a video editing processing unit 21 and a control unit 22 to the configuration of the transmission device 1 shown in FIG. In this case, the video editing processing unit 21 is provided between the transmission buffer 4 and the transmission modulation device 5. The configuration of the video editing processing unit 21 may be the same as the configuration of the video editing processing unit 103 provided on the receiving device 100 side in FIG.
Decoding processing for setting a format suitable for recording in the storage device 102 can be omitted. Control unit 2
2 controls the operation of each functional circuit unit in the transmitting device 20. In this case, the video editing processing unit 21 is controlled based on the contents of the user request information transmitted from the receiving device side. Then, control for creating a required edited program is executed.

The receiving apparatus 400 shown in this figure includes a tuner / decode circuit 101, a display 105, and a control unit 1.
04, a remote control receiving unit 106, and a transmitting unit 401. In this broadcasting system, on the receiving device 400 side, for example, a viewer transmits a command signal for requesting a program with desired contents as “user request information” to the receiving device 400 by remote control operation. The control unit 104 in the receiving device 400 outputs the user request information input via the remote control receiving unit 106 to the transmitting unit 401. The transmitting unit 401 is configured to be able to transmit a signal in a format corresponding to a predetermined transmitting unit. In this case, the transmitting unit 401 transmits and outputs the input user request information to the transmitting device 20 side. In addition,
Here, the transmission mode adopted for transmitting the user request information is not particularly limited, and for example, a communication system using a telephone line may be used. In this case, for example, the transmission unit 401 Has a configuration including a modem and the like. It is also conceivable that transmission is performed using a wired connection. Further, in some cases, wireless transmission may be considered.

As described above, the user request information transmitted from the receiving device 400 is received by the transmitting device 20 and supplied to the internal control unit 22. The control unit 22 analyzes the contents of the received user request information and determines, for example, what kind of edited program should be created. Then, based on the result of the determination, the control unit 22 converts the structured video information stored in the transmission buffer 4 into video information having contents necessary for creating an edited program. It is read out in units of conversion and transmitted to the video editing processing unit 21. And the control unit 22
Performs control so that editing processing is performed on the video information in the structured unit transmitted to the video editing processing unit 21, whereby a required editing program is created in the video editing processing unit 21. . When a normal program, not an edited program, is requested as the user request information, the video information of the normal program is read from the transmission buffer 4 and handled by the video editing processing unit 21. The video information of the edited program (or ordinary program) created by the video editing processing unit 21 is transmitted to the transmission modulator 5.
And modulates the carrier so that the video information of the program is transmitted through a predetermined channel allocated to the receiving device 400, and outputs the modulated carrier.

The receiving apparatus 400 receives the video of the program transmitted from the transmitting apparatus 20 as described above,
The tuner / decode circuit 1 tunes to the predetermined channel, subjects the tuned broadcast signal to necessary decoding processing (in this case, if necessary, includes data decompression processing), and outputs the resulting signal to the display 10 as a video signal.
5 As a result, a program having a content that matches the user request information input by the viewer is displayed on the display 105. As described above, the broadcast system according to the fourth embodiment creates a program having a content corresponding to a viewer's request based on structured video information stored on the transmission side and supplies the program to the viewer's side. This is a so-called on-demand form.

According to the broadcasting system described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15, not only a normal program but also a request for a different viewing mode for each viewer is created based on structured video information. This can be handled by providing an edited program. In producing the above-mentioned edited program, since it is created based on, for example, structured video information of a normal program, there is no need to prepare a separate video source. The amount of video sources that the (broadcasting side) should prepare does not increase so much. Also, for example, when a normal program is created, a considerable amount of video information actually shot in the editing stage may be discarded. By managing and accumulating even video information by performing structuring processing, it is possible to create an edited program using these video sources. In the case of the system, it is possible to utilize the video source owned by the system more than ever. As described above, in the broadcasting system according to the present embodiment, it is also possible to suppress costs related to program production. It should be noted that FIGS.
In addition to the broadcasting system example shown in FIG. 5, various broadcasting systems using structured video information are conceivable.

<3. Recording Method of Video Information in Storage Device> Next, FIGS. 16 to 24 show examples of recording methods of video information (actually video / audio data) in the storage device 102 shown in FIGS. I will explain. FIG.
FIG. 16A is a diagram conceptually showing a first example of a recording method and a reading process corresponding thereto. FIG. 16A shows that one program is divided into a field unit of a first field to a last field (frame unit and frame unit). May be shown).
FIG. 16B conceptually shows a recording state on a recording medium provided in the storage device 102. The recording area of the recording medium is composed of sector units having a predetermined data length as shown in FIG. Is provided with a sector header indicating a sector break. In this case, the data in the field unit is continuously packed and recorded as bit stream data irrespective of the division of the sector as shown in FIG. However, in the sector where the last field exists, if the area of the sector is left, the area is filled with a stuffing bit SB of a predetermined format as shown in the figure. As a result, it is possible to indicate a phrase break for each program. In this case, although not shown, a list file indicating physical and logical addresses related to programs, scene groups, scenes, index screens, and digest screens is created and recorded separately from the data in units of fields. In such a recording method, the program data is recorded as compactly as possible, so that the capacity required for recording one program is small.
Then, the data recorded in this manner is read, but in this case, there is no relation between the field unit break and the sector break. For this reason, for example, when extracting and reading the second field for the video editing processing, as shown in FIG. 16C, after reading all the sectors including the second field, before and after the decoding processing, Unnecessary field image data is deleted. Thus, data of the second field as shown in FIG. 16D is extracted.

FIG. 17 is a diagram conceptually showing the second example of the recording method and the read processing corresponding to the second example of the recording method. FIG.
(A) shows one program in a field unit (a frame unit) from the first field to the last field. And in this case, FIG.
As shown in (b), data in a plurality of fields are recorded so as not to exist in the same sector. Then, in the sector where the end of the field image data is present, if there is a remaining area of the sector after the end of the field image data, the area is filled with a stuffing bit SB of a predetermined format as shown in the figure. ing. When recording is performed in this manner, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7C, by reading out the sector including the second field and deleting the stuffing bit SB, the data of the second field shown in FIG. 17D is extracted.

In this case, since the start position of the field image data is always at the head of the sector, it is possible to quickly access the field unit. Although the detailed description is omitted, the stuffing bit SB can be deleted in the storage device 102 when reading from the recording medium. And the data transmission efficiency is improved accordingly.

FIG. 18 is a diagram conceptually showing the third example of the recording method and the read processing corresponding thereto, and the same parts as those in FIGS. In this case, the recording method is based on a scene unit. FIG. 18A shows one program in scene units (may be frame units) from the first scene to the last scene. And in this case, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8B, data in a plurality of scene units are recorded so as not to exist in the same sector. Then, in the sector in which the end of the scene data exists, if there is an extra area in the sector after the end of the scene image data, the area is filled with a stuffing bit SB in a predetermined format as shown in the figure. ing. If, for example, the second scene is read as a data read operation in scene units, FIG.
As shown in (c), by reading the sector including the second scene and deleting the stuffing bit SB,
The data of the second scene shown in FIG. 18D is extracted.

In this case, since the start position of the scene data is always at the head of the sector, the access in scene units can be executed quickly as in the case of FIG. In addition, since one scene is formed by tens to tens of thousands of frames, in this case, the frequency of filling the stuffing bits SB in the sector becomes very small, and the recording capacity of the recording medium is accordingly reduced. Can be used for Further, also in this case, the stuffing bit SB can be deleted in the storage device 102 at the time of reading from the recording medium.

FIG. 19 is a diagram conceptually showing a fourth example of a recording method. The fourth recording method example is a recording method for recording a field image set as an index screen or a digest screen of a still image. First, with respect to a field image that is not set as an index screen or a digest screen of a still image, data is read from a recording medium and data is read by the recording method described above with reference to FIG. FIG. 19A shows the (J-1) th field, the Jth field, and the (J + 1) th field in a certain program.
The fields are shown. Here, for example, if the J-th field among the (J-1) -th to (J + 1) -th fields is set as an index screen, as shown in FIG. −
1) A stuffing bit SB is buried in a surplus area of a sector where the end of data of a field exists. Then, the recording of the data of the subsequent J-th field is started from the head of the sector, and the stuffing bit SB is filled in the remaining area of the sector where the end of the data exists. The data of the (J + 1) th field is recorded from the head of the sector next to the last sector in which the Jth field is recorded, and thereafter, a field image in which an index screen or a digest screen of a still image is set Up to, recording is performed by a method according to FIG. The recording of a field image set as a digest screen of a still image follows the description given above. When recording a digest screen using moving images, it is conceivable to apply the recording method for scenes described above with reference to FIG. 18 to continuous field images forming a digest screen using moving images. .

In such a recording method, when the program data is viewed in units of fields, only the field images set as the index screen and the digest screen are separated by the stuffing bits SB. Therefore, access and readout of the field images on the index screen and the digest screen are quickened. In addition, since fields other than the field screens, which are the index screen and the digest screen, are recorded so as to extend over the sectors in conformity with the recording method described in FIG. 16, the sectors to be filled with the stuffing bits SB are used. The number is also limited, so that the recording capacity of the recording medium can be effectively used.

Next, an example of a physical recording system of video information data will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, a description will be given assuming that the type of recording medium provided in the storage device is a disk-shaped recording medium that can be randomly accessed. FIG. 20 shows a recording medium RM. It is assumed that the recording on the recording medium RM is performed in principle from the outer periphery toward the inner periphery. Here, it is assumed that video information data of a certain program is recorded on the recording medium RM. The recording area DP in which the data for one program is recorded is indicated by a thick solid line on the recording medium RM in the figure. Then, in this program, digest screens DG1, DG2, DG3, DG
4 (in this case, a digest screen based on a moving image) is assumed to be set. These digest screens DG1, DG2, DG3, DG4 are recorded at the positions indicated by broken lines in the recording area DP as shown in the figure. Also, here, for convenience of explanation, the digest screens DG1, DG2, DG3,
It is assumed that DG4 is selected at equal intervals for every M frames and is formed of data for all N frames. Note that the relationship between the M frame and the N frame is M >> N. Also, the above digest screen DG
For 1, DG2, DG3, and DG4, the digest screen is obtained in the order of DG1, DG2, DG3, and DG4 according to the normal reproduction time axis of the program recorded in the recording area DP.

FIG. 21 shows the digest screens DG1, DG
FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing, along a time axis, an operation for reading digest screens DG1, DG2, DG3, and DG4 from the recording medium RM shown in FIG. Here, for convenience of description, the data recorded on the recording medium RM has a constant information amount (1 frame = A bits) for each frame, and the frame frequency is F frames / second. And Under this condition, in order to finally output the decoded video signal in synchronization with the frame frequency, the output of the data read from the storage device 102 should be a data amount equivalent to one frame every 1 / F second. The A bit needs to be read.

In this case, the head of the digest screen is sequentially accessed as a data reading operation. At this time, during N / F seconds corresponding to the image display time for N frames, It is necessary to complete the operation of reading data (A × N bits) for N frames corresponding to one digest screen and the operation of accessing the beginning of the data of the next digest screen.

FIG. 22 shows a data read operation for such a storage device in relation to time and a data read rate. As can be seen from this figure, after each data reading period of the digest screens DG1, DG2, DG3, there is an access period for accessing the head of the next digest screen. If the time corresponding to the reading period required to read one digest screen is Tr seconds and the time required to access the beginning of the data of the next digest screen is Ts seconds, it is expressed as Tr seconds + Ts seconds. It is necessary that the total time be within the range of N / F seconds.

Here, assuming that the rate at which data is read from the storage device is B bits / second (B> A), it is necessary to read N frames of data (A × N bits) corresponding to one digest screen. The time Tr is represented by Tr = (A × N) / B. The time required to complete the operation of reading the data of the N frames and the operation of accessing the head of the next digest screen data after this operation is completed is defined as T.
_{Assuming total} , the time T _total is represented by T _total = Tr + Ts. Then, as described above, the time T
_total must be in the range of N / F seconds,
Therefore, it is necessary that the condition of N / F ≧ T _total (= Tr + Ts) is satisfied. If the time Ts required for access is longer than N / F seconds, there is no time to read the data of the digest screen, so it is necessary to satisfy the condition of N / F> Ts. When this condition is satisfied, the relationship of (N / F) −Ts ≧ Tr (= (A × N) / B) holds, and if (N / F) −Ts = Tr (= (A × N) / B), the data read rate B from the storage device is B = (A × N) / ((N / F) −Ts). By modifying the above equation, B = (A × F) / (1−Ts × F / N). This can be considered to indicate that as the time Ts required for access becomes longer than N / F seconds, the data reading rate B from the storage device rapidly increases. In particular, when N (the number of frames forming the digest screen) is small, the time Ts and Tr are required to be as short as possible because N / F seconds are also shortened accordingly. Therefore, in the case of the method of recording video information structured as shown in FIG. 20, the access speed of the storage device 102 is as high as possible.
In addition, it is preferable to use a high data read rate (data transfer rate).

FIG. 22 shows another example of a physical recording method of video information data different from that of FIG. 20, and this example of the recording method corresponds to a storage device required in the above-described recording method of FIG. Access speed and data transfer rate can be reduced. Note that the same parts as those in FIG. 21 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. Also in this case, in the program, the digest screens DG1, DG described in FIG.
G2, DG3, and DG4 are assumed to be set. In this example of the recording method, the set digest screens DG1, DG2, and DG1, DG2, and DG2 are located further inside the recording area DP in which data for one program is recorded. A digest data file area DF created by copying data of DG3 and DG4 is provided, and digest screens DG1, DG2,
Data of DG3 and DG4 are continuously recorded. In this case, the recording data amount per program increases at least by the digest data file area DF as compared with the recording method described with reference to FIG.

When reading the data of the digest screens DG1, DG2, DG3, DG4 for reproducing the digest screen from the recording medium RM on which the data is recorded in this manner, the digest data file area DF is read.
To read the data continuously from the start position to the end position, for example, there is no need to re-access at each break of the digest screen data. FIG. 23 shows the case where this read operation is represented by the relationship between time and the data read rate. As can be seen from this figure, the digest screens DG1, DG2, DG
3, the data of DG4 is read continuously, and there is no access period in the middle. Then, as can be seen from FIG. 23, there is no problem even if reading the data of one digest screen requires N / F seconds at the maximum, and the data reading rate from the storage device 102 is accordingly reduced. A / F bit seconds is sufficient. Thus, the data read rate (transfer rate) required for the storage device is higher than when the recording method described with reference to FIG. 20 is adopted.
In addition, the performance such as the access speed may be low.

The recording method described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 23 can also be applied to the transmission buffer on the transmission device side. Further, the present invention is not limited to the configuration described so far, but includes a transmission / reception system,
The configurations of the receiving device and the transmitting device can be appropriately changed according to the actual use conditions and the like.

[0098]

As described above, according to the present invention, on the transmission side or the reception side, processing is performed so that video information in units of programs becomes "structured video information" which can be managed by a structured unit. Forming an edited program of required content based on the structured video information has an effect that a video of a content that responds to a request for a different viewing mode for each viewer can be provided. In order to create such an edited program, it is only necessary to utilize a video source required for producing a program which is a source of the edited program. This has the effect of not increasing the cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining program structuring as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the structure of an ID data area added to structured video information.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of superimposing an ID data signal on a video signal.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of setting an index screen for a scene.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of setting an index screen for a scene group.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of setting an index screen for a scene group.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of setting an index screen for a scene group.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a digest screen setting for a scene.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a digest screen setting for a scene.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a digest screen setting for a scene.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a digest screen setting for a scene.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a broadcasting system according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a broadcasting system according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a broadcasting system according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a broadcasting system according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a recording method when recording video information data on a recording medium in the present embodiment.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing a recording method and an example of a data reading operation when video information data is recorded on a recording medium in the present embodiment.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing a recording method and an example of a data reading operation when video information data is recorded on a recording medium in the present embodiment.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing a recording method example when recording video information data on a recording medium in the present embodiment.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a physical recording method when video information data is recorded on a recording medium in the present embodiment.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing a data read operation corresponding to the example of the recording method shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a physical recording method when recording video information data on a recording medium in the present embodiment.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing a data read operation corresponding to the example of the recording method shown in FIG. 22;

[Explanation of symbols]

1,10,20 transmitting device, 2 video source, 3,13
Transmission video encoder, 4 transmission buffer, 5 transmission modulation device, 11 multi-channel processing section, 22
Control unit, 100, 200, 300, 400 receiving device 1
01 tuner / decode circuit, 102 storage device, 1
03 video editing processing unit, 104 control unit, 105 display, 106 remote control receiving unit, 201 multi-channel simultaneous reception tuner, 202 video information encoder, 203 video editing processing unit, 401 transmission unit, M broadcast / communication media, AR1 time stamp area , A
R2 program ID area, AR3 scene group ID area, AR4 scene ID, AR5 field number area in scene, AR6 description area, INDX index screen, DGs, DGm digest screen, SB stuffing bit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04N 5/91 J

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A structuring unit for performing structuring processing so that a predetermined unit of video information can be managed in structuring units that are hierarchically set according to a predetermined significance in a predetermined stage; A transmitting device including a transmitting unit capable of transmitting video information having a manageable structure; a receiving unit capable of receiving the video information; and a storing unit capable of storing the video information received by the receiving unit. A receiving device including an editing unit that reads out the video information stored in the storage unit and edits the video information using the structured unit. A transmission / reception system characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The structuring processing means can set a group structuring unit formed by grouping a plurality of specific structuring units according to a predetermined significance as the structuring unit, and 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the editing unit is configured to be capable of setting a division in the group structuring unit, and the editing unit is capable of editing video information using the group structuring unit. 3. The transmitting and receiving system as described. 3. The structuring processing means sets a representative still image representing the contents of video information for a predetermined structured unit as the structured unit, and sets the representative still image so as to be manageable. 2. The transmission / reception system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit can perform processing, and the editing unit can edit video information using the representative still image unit. 3. 4. The structuring processing means sets a representative moving image representative of the contents of video information for a predetermined structured unit as the structuring unit, and sets the representative moving image to be manageable. 2. The transmission / reception system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit can perform processing, and the editing unit can edit video information using the representative moving image unit. 3. . 5. A receiving unit capable of receiving a predetermined unit of video information to be transmitted, and a structured unit configured to set hierarchies at predetermined stages according to a predetermined significance with respect to the predetermined unit of video information received by the receiving unit. Structuring processing means for performing structuring processing so as to be able to be managed in a storage unit, storage means capable of storing video information which can be managed in the structuring unit, and reading out the video information stored in the storage means, Editing means capable of editing video information using the structured unit. 6. The structuring processing means can set a group structuring unit formed by grouping a plurality of specific structuring units according to a predetermined significance as the structuring unit, and 6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the editing unit is configured to be capable of setting a division in the group structuring unit, and the editing unit is capable of editing video information using the group structuring unit. The receiving device according to the above. 7. The structuring processing means sets a representative still image representing the contents of video information for a predetermined structuring unit as the structuring unit, and configures the representative still image so as to be manageable. The receiving device according to claim 5, wherein the receiving device is capable of performing processing, and the editing unit is capable of editing video information using the representative still image unit. 8. The structuring processing means sets a representative moving image representing the contents of video information for a predetermined structuring unit as the structuring unit, and configures the representative moving image so as to be manageable. The receiving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the receiving apparatus is capable of performing processing, and the editing unit is capable of editing video information using the representative moving image unit. . 9. A structuring means for performing structuring processing so that video information of a predetermined unit can be managed in structuring units which are hierarchically set in predetermined steps according to predetermined significance, and said structuring processing means. Editing means for constructing video information on a program basis by editing the video information having a structure manageable in the structured unit by the structured unit; and a program constructed by the editing means. Transmitting means for transmitting the video information in such a manner that each of the pieces of video information is assigned to a predetermined channel. 10. The editing means is capable of inputting request information for requesting desired program content transmitted from a receiving device capable of receiving a video signal transmitted from the transmitting device. 10. The transmitting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the video information is edited so that a program having a content that matches the requested information is generated. 11. The structuring processing means can set a group structuring unit formed by grouping a plurality of specific structuring units according to a predetermined significance as the structuring unit,
The video information of the predetermined unit is configured to be able to be divided and set by the group structured unit, and the editing means is capable of editing the video information using the group structured unit. The transmitting device according to claim 9, wherein 12. The structuring processing means sets a representative still image representing the contents of video information for a predetermined structuring unit as the structuring unit, and sets the representative still image so as to be manageable. 10. The transmitting device according to claim 9, wherein the transmitting device is capable of performing processing, and the editing unit is capable of editing video information using the representative still image unit. 13. The structuring processing means sets a representative moving image representing the content of video information for a predetermined structuring unit as the structuring unit, and sets the representative moving image so as to be manageable. The transmission device according to claim 9, wherein the transmission device is capable of performing processing, and wherein the editing unit is capable of editing video information using the representative moving image unit. .