Image processing apparatus, method, and program, and program storage medium

• US 20060059426A1
• Filed: 09/13/2005
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ogikubo, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,349 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums

Abstract

An image processing apparatus, method, and program and program storage medium that enable easy search for a desired part. A plurality of video data are created from video data and are displayed, each as a motion picture, at time intervals in a display order on a plurality of display areas on a display screen.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image creation unit operable to create from video data a plurality of video data to be displayed on a plurality of display areas on a display screen; and

an image processing unit operable to display the plurality of video data, each as a motion picture, on the display screen at time intervals in a display order, the plurality of video data created by the image creation unit.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the image creation unit creates the plurality of video data by decoding an encoded stream.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a memory unit storing the encoded stream; and

a readout unit operable to read the encoded stream from the memory unit, wherein

the image creation unit creates the plurality of video data by decoding the encoded stream read by the readout unit.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the image processing unit displays the plurality of video data on the display screen as a display area group having the plurality of display areas linking up in the display order.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the image processing unit obtains display information including display sizes and display positions for displaying the plurality of video data on the plurality of display areas and displays the plurality of video data on the display screen.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the image processing unit displays the plurality of video data on the display screen at a variable playback speed.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the image processing unit displays the plurality of video data on the display screen at a constant playback speed.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the image processing unit displays the plurality of video data on the display screen with an equal time interval between the plurality of display areas.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the image processing unit displays main video data to be displayed on a main display area, at a largest display size among the plurality of video data, the main display area serving as a display basis out of the plurality of display areas.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the image processing unit displays the plurality of video data excluding the main video data at smaller display sizes as the plurality of video data are away from the main display area.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the image processing unit displays the main display area at a center of the display area group.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the image processing unit displays the plurality of video data other than the main video data at lower resolutions as the plurality of video data are away from the main display area.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the image processing unit displays the plurality of video data so as to overlap on adjacent display areas and so that overlapping parts of the plurality of video data are both transparent.

14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the image processing unit displays the plurality of video data other than the main video data on the plurality of display areas spaced closer as the plurality of video data are away from the main display area.

15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the image processing unit displays the plurality of video data on the plurality of display areas with angles of the plurality of display areas changed according to a speed of flowing the plurality of video data in time series in the display area group.

16. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the image creation unit further creates speed indication data indicating a speed of flowing the plurality of video data in time series in the display area group;

and

the image processing unit displays the speed indication data as an icon on the display screen.

17. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when specified video data corresponding to an edit position is displayed on one display area of the plurality of display areas, the image processing unit highlights the one display area or the specified video data corresponding to the edit position.

18. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when scene change video data corresponding to a scene change is displayed on one display area of the plurality of display areas, the image processing unit highlights the one display area or the scene change video data corresponding to the scene change.

19. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the image creation unit creates a plurality of split encoded streams by splitting the encoded stream on a temporal axis by a number of display regions showing the plurality of display areas and the display area group, and decodes the plurality of split encoded streams to create the plurality of video data for each of the display regions.

20. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the image creation unit comprises;

a plurality of decoders operable to decode the encoded stream; and

a control unit operable to assign a decoding process of the encoded stream to the plurality of decoders, depending on a number of the plurality of display areas.

21. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

an edit information acquisition unit operable to obtain edit information corresponding an editing operation input, wherein

the image processing unit changes a display configuration of the plurality of video data according to contents of the edit information obtained by the edit information acquisition unit.

22. The image processing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein:

the editing operation input includes an edit position setting operation for setting an edit position to specified video data out of the plurality of video data being displayed on the plurality of display areas; and

the image processing unit keeps a specified display condition of the specified video data corresponding to the edit position when the edit position setting operation is entered.

23. The image processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein

the image processing unit keeps all display conditions of the plurality of video data being displayed on all of the plurality of display areas, in conjunction with the specified display condition of the specified video data corresponding to the edit position when the edit position setting operation is entered.

24. The image processing apparatus according to claim 22 or 23, wherein:

the editing operation input includes an edit position setting canceling operation for canceling the edit position setting operation; and

when the edit position setting canceling operation is entered, the image processing unit releases the specified display condition of the specified video data or the all display conditions of the plurality of video data kept according to the edit position setting operation.

25. The image processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein:

the editing operation input includes an edit point determination operation for fixing the edit point after the edit point setting operation is entered; and

the image processing unit splits the display configuration of the plurality of video data into a first display area group and a second display area group with the specified video data corresponding to the edit position as a border when the edit position determination operation is entered.

26. The image processing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein:

the editing operation input includes a combine operation for combining a first edit position and a second edit position fixed by the edit position determination operation; and

the image processing unit combines the first display area group and the second display area group by moving the second display area group when the combine operation is entered.

27. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

display changing information acquisition unit operable to obtain display condition changing information corresponding to a display control input for changing display conditions on the display screen, wherein

the image processing unit changes the display conditions of the plurality of video data according to contents of the display condition changing information obtained by the display changing information acquisition unit.

28. The image processing apparatus according to claim 27, wherein:

the display control input includes a display-area selecting operation for selecting user-specified video data out of the plurality of video data; and

the image processing unit highlights a specified display area displaying the user-specified video data selected or the user-specified video data when the display-area selecting operation is entered.

29. The image processing apparatus according to claim 28, wherein

the image processing unit keeps a specified display condition of the user-specified video data selected when the display-area selecting operation is entered.

30. The image processing apparatus according to claim 28, wherein

the image processing unit keeps all display conditions of all of the plurality of video data when the display-area selecting operation is entered.

31. The image processing apparatus according to claim 29 or 30, wherein:

the display control input includes a display-area selection canceling operation for canceling the display-area selecting operation; and

when the display-area selection canceling operation is entered, the image processing unit releases the specified display condition of the user-specified video data or the all display conditions of all of the plurality of video data kept according to the display-area selecting operation.

32. The image processing apparatus according to claim 28, wherein

when the display-area selecting operation is entered, the image processing unit highlights the plurality of video data or the plurality of display areas in the display order, starting with the user-specified video data selected or the specified display area displaying the user-specified video data.

33. The image processing apparatus according to claim 27, wherein:

the display control input includes a first display speed setting operation for controlling a display speed produced by controlling playback intervals between the plurality of display areas or a playback speed; and

the image processing unit increases the display speed when the first display speed setting operation is entered.

34. The image processing apparatus according to claim 33, wherein

the image processing unit increases the display speed based on a duration of time or a number of times when the first display speed setting operation is entered.

35. The image processing apparatus according to claim 27, wherein:

the display control input includes a second display speed setting operation for controlling a display speed produced by controlling playback intervals between the plurality of display areas or a playback speed; and

the image processing unit decreases the display speed when the second display speed setting operation is entered.

36. The image processing apparatus according to claim 35, wherein

the image processing unit decreases the display speed based on a duration of time or a number of times when the second display speed setting operation is entered.

37. The image processing apparatus according to claim 27, wherein:

the display control input includes a first display-area shifting operation for shifting the plurality of display areas together; and

the image processing unit shifts the plurality of display areas together with the plurality of video data in a display direction when the first display-area shifting operation is entered, the display direction produced by controlling playback intervals between the plurality of display areas or a playback speed.

38. The image processing apparatus according to claim 27, wherein:

the display control input includes a second display-area shifting operation for shifting the plurality of display areas together; and

the image processing unit shifts the plurality of display areas together with the plurality of video data in a reverse direction of a display direction when the second display-area shifting operation is entered, the display direction produced by controlling playback intervals between the plurality of display areas or a playback speed.

39. An image processing apparatus comprising:

image creation means for creating from video data a plurality of video data to be displayed on a plurality of display areas on a display screen; and

image processing means for displaying the plurality of video data, each as a motion picture, on the display screen at time intervals in a display order, the plurality of video data created by the image creation means.

40. An image processing method comprising:

an image creation step of creating from video data a plurality of video data to be displayed on a plurality of display areas on a display screen; and

an image processing step of displaying the plurality of video data, each as a motion picture, on the display screen at time intervals in a display order, the plurality of video data created at the image creation step.

41. An image processing program causing a computer to executes:

an image creation step of creating from video data a plurality of video data to be displayed on a plurality of display areas on a display screen; and

an image processing step of displaying the plurality of video data, each as a motion picture, on the display screen at time intervals in a display order, the plurality of video data created at the image creation step.

42. A computer-readable program storage medium storing an image processing program comprising:

an image creation step of creating from video data a plurality of video data to be displayed on a plurality of display areas on a display screen; and

an image processing step of displaying the plurality of video data, each as a motion picture, on the display screen at time intervals in a display order, the plurality of video data created at the image creation step.