Image playback apparatus, image recording apparatus, and methods thereof

• US 20020097255A1
• Filed: 03/27/2002
• Published: 07/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Toyoda, Kenji, Hibino, Hideo
• Application Number:
  US10/106,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20020097255A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/719
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/022 Control panels
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/65 wherein solid state memory is used for storing indexing information or metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/00 Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/326 used signal is a video-frame or a video-field (P.I.P.)
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums

Abstract

An image playback apparatus and in image recording apparatus are designed to permit image playback from a selected position in an image file recorded to a directly accessible memory, such as a magnetic disk. During recording of an image file, the user can designate one or more candidate playback start positions in the file, and corresponding pointers are stored as part of the image file. When the file is to be played back, the playback apparatus accesses the pointer(s) and allows the user to select playback from the corresponding position(s) in the image file. Also the playback apparatus can rewrite pointers in an image file, whereby the user can designate candidate starting positions for future playback of the file.

Claims

1. An image playback apparatus comprising:

image playback means for directly accessing an image file of a moving picture on a recording medium, and reading out and playing back the image file; and

position acquiring means for acquiring positional information indicating a playback position of the image file from a storage location determined based on a file format of the image file,

wherein said image playback means starts playing back the image file from the playback position indicated by the positional information acquired by said position acquiring means.

2. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

position designating means for designating the playback position of the image file in accordance with a designating instruction given from outside during playback of the image file by said image playback means; and

position recording means for storing in said storage location the playback position designated by said position designating means as said positional information.

3. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

position storage means, and

wherein said image playback means interrupts playback of the image file in response to an interrupting instruction given from the outside, and said position storage means stores in said storage location a position of the image file at which playback is interrupted by said image playback means as said positional information.

4. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

thumbnail means for producing a thumbnail image from a playback image at the playback position indicated by said positional information when the positional information is acquired by said position acquiring means, and displaying said thumbnail image; and

position selecting means for specifying the playback position in response to selection of the thumbnail image by an external selecting operation,

wherein said image playback means starts playback of the image file from the playback position specified by said position selecting means.

5. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

thumbnail recording means for producing a thumbnail image from an image at the playback position designated by said position designating means, and storing the thumbnail image in the image file such that the thumbnail image is associated with the playback position;

thumbnail acquiring means for acquiring the thumbnail image from the image file, and displaying the thumbnail image; and

position selecting means for specifying the playback position corresponding to the thumbnail image in response to selection of the thumbnail image by an external selecting operation,

wherein said image playback means starts playback of the image file from the playback position specified by said position selecting means.

6. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said positional information indicates a playback position of said image file other than a beginning of said image file.

7. An image recording apparatus comprising:

image writing means for writing moving picture image information, provided from outside, as an image file of the moving picture in a directly accessible recording medium;

position designating means for designating a playback start position on the image file in accordance with a designating instruction given from outside during writing of the image file by said image writing means; and

position recording means for storing positional information indicating the playback start position designated by said position designating means, at a storage location determined based on a file format of said image file.

8. The image recording apparatus as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

thumbnail recording means for producing a thumbnail image from an image written in said playback start position designated by said position designating means, and storing the thumbnail image in the image file such that the thumbnail image is associated with said position.

9. An image playback apparatus comprising:

an image playback portion which directly accesses an image file of a moving picture on a recording medium, and reads out and plays back the image file; and

a position acquiring portion which acquires positional information indicating playback position of the image file from a storage location determined based on a file format of the image file,

wherein said image playback portion starts playing back the image file from the playback position indicated by the positional information acquired by said position acquiring portion.

10. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

a position designating portion which designates the playback position of the image file in accordance with a designating instruction given from outside during playback of the image file by said image playback portion; and

a position recording portion which stores in said storage location the playback position designated by said position designating portion as said positional information.

11. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

a position storage portion, and wherein said image playback portion interrupts playback of the image file in response to an interrupting instruction given from the outside, and said position storage portion stores in said storage location a position of the image file at which playback is interrupted by said image playback portion as said positional information.

12. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

a thumbnail producing portion which produces a thumbnail image from a playback image at the playback position indicated by said positional information acquired by said position acquiring portion, and which displays said thumbnail image; and

a position selecting portion which specifies the playback position in response to selection of the thumbnail image by an external selecting operation,

wherein said image playback portion starts playback of the image file from the playback position specified by said position selecting portion.

13. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising:

a thumbnail recording portion which produces a thumbnail image from an image at the playback position designated by said position designating portion, and which stores the thumbnail image in the image file such that the thumbnail image is associated with the playback position;

a thumbnail acquiring portion which acquires the thumbnail image from the image file, and which displays the thumbnail image; and

a position selecting portion which specifies the playback position corresponding to the thumbnail image in response to selection of the thumbnail image by an external selecting operation,

wherein said image playback portion starts playback of the image file from the playback position specified by said position selecting portion.

14. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein said positional information indicates a playback position of said image file other than a beginning of said image file.

16. The image recording apparatus as defined in claim 15, further comprising:

a thumbnail recording portion which produces a thumbnail image from an image written in said playback start position designated by said position designating portion, and which stores the thumbnail image in the image file such that the thumbnail image is associated with said position.

18. The image playback method as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

rewriting said positional information to change the playback start position in accordance with an instruction by an operator.

19. The image playback method as defined in claim 18, wherein said instruction is a stop instruction to interrupt playback of said image file, and the rewritten positional information is dependent upon the interrupted position of said image file.

20. The image playback method as defined in claim 19, wherein the rewritten positional information indicates the interrupted position.

21. The image playback method as defined in claim 18, wherein said instruction is a designating instruction to designate a playback start position desired by the operator.

22. The image playback method as defined in claim 21, wherein said designating instruction is provided during a playback of said image file.

23. The image playback method as defined in claim 18, further comprising:

producing a thumbnail image corresponding to the rewritten positional information.

25. The image recording method as defined in claim 24, wherein said designating instruction is given during writing of the image file.

26. The image recording method as defined in claim 24, further comprising:

recording a thumbnail image on said recording medium in correspondence with the designated playback start position.

28. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 27, further comprising:

a position designating portion which designates the playback position of the image file in accordance with a designating instruction given from outside during playback of the image file by said image playback portion; and

a position recording portion which stores in said storage location the playback position designated by said position designating portion as said positional information.

29. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 27, further comprising:

a position storage portion, and

wherein said image playback portion interrupts playback of the image file in response to an interrupting instruction given from the outside, and said position storage portion stores in said storage location a position of the image file at which playback is interrupted by said image playback portion as said positional information.

30. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 27, further comprising:

a thumbnail producing portion which produces a thumbnail image from a playback image at the playback position indicated by said positional information acquired by said position acquiring portion, and which displays said thumbnail image; and

a position selecting portion which specifies the playback position in response to selection of the thumbnail image by an external selecting operation,

wherein said image playback portion starts playback of the image file from the playback position specified by said position selecting portion.

31. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 28, further comprising:

a thumbnail recording portion which produces a thumbnail image from an image at the playback position designated by said position designating portion, and which stores the thumbnail image in the image file such that the thumbnail image is associated with the playback position;

a thumbnail acquiring portion which acquires the thumbnail image from the image file, and which displays the thumbnail image; and

a position selecting portion which specifies the playback position corresponding to the thumbnail image in response to selection of the thumbnail image by an external selecting operation,

wherein said image playback portion starts playback of the image file from the playback position specified by said position selecting portion.

32. The image playback apparatus as defined in claim 27, wherein said positional information indicates a playback position of said image file other than a beginning of said image file.

15. An image recording apparatus comprising:

an image writing portion which writes image information of a moving picture, provided from outside, as an image file of the moving picture in a directly accessible recording medium;

a position designating portion which designates a playback start position on the image file in accordance with a designating instruction given from outside during writing of the image file by said image writing portion; and

a position recording portion which stores positional information indicating the playback start position designated by said position designating portion, at a storage location determined based on a file format of said image file.

17. An image playback method comprising:

providing a directly accessible storage medium having stored thereon an image file of a moving picture and a positional information indicating a playback start position of said image file other than a beginning of said image file;

acquiring said positional information; and

starting playback of said image file from the playback start position indicated by said positional information.

24. An image recording method comprising:

writing moving picture image information as an image file of the moving picture on a directly accessible recording medium; and

recording a playback start position of the image file on said recording medium in accordance with a designating instruction given at an operator'"'"'s discretion.

27. An image playback apparatus comprising:

an image playback portion which directly accesses an image file of a moving picture on a recording medium, and reads out and plays back the image file; and

a position acquiring portion which acquires positional information indicating playback position of the image file from a storage location,

wherein said image playback portion starts playing back the image file from the playback position indicated by the positional information acquired by said position acquiring portion.