Image displaying method and video playback apparatus

• US 20070223878A1
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sako, Yoichiro, Terauchi, Toshiro, Abe, Yuichi, Sasaki, Toru, Nakamura, Takatoshi, Takehara, Mitsuru
• Application Number:
  US11/711,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20070223878A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/745 the internal structure of a single video sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/025 'Virtual' control panels, e.g. Graphical User Interface [GUI]
• 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 27/326 used signal is a video-frame or a video-field (P.I.P.)
• 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

Abstract

A video playback apparatus includes a thumbnail creating unit for creating thumbnail image data for a video file, and a user operation unit for receiving an instruction from a user. The thumbnail creating unit divides a total playback duration time T of the video file into 2ˆn intervals and creates the thumbnail image data from the first frame of each of the divided intervals. The thumbnail creating unit then supplies the created thumbnail image data to an image displaying unit to display thumbnail images. Upon the user operation unit receiving a first predetermined operation, the thumbnail creating unit increments the value n by 1 to increase the number of thumbnail images. Upon the user operation unit receiving a second predetermined operation, the thumbnail creating unit decrements the value n by 1 to decrease the number of thumbnail image.

Claims

1. A video playback apparatus comprising:

a thumbnail creating unit for creating thumbnail image data for a video file; and

a user operation unit for receiving an instruction from a user, wherein

the thumbnail creating unit divides a total playback duration time T of the video file into 2ˆ

n (n is an integer not less than

     0) intervals, creates the thumbnail image data from image data of the first frame of each of the divided intervals, and supplies the created thumbnail image data to an image displaying unit to cause the image displaying unit to display thumbnail images corresponding to the thumbnail image data, and wherein

upon the user operation unit receiving a first predetermined operation, the thumbnail creating unit increments the value n by 1 to increase the number of thumbnail images, corresponding to the thumbnail image data, to be displayed on the image displaying unit, whereas upon the user operation unit receiving a second predetermined operation, the thumbnail creating unit decrements the value n by 1 to decrease the number of thumbnail images, corresponding to the thumbnail image data, to be displayed on the image displaying unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thumbnail creating unit creates the thumbnail image data for a frame specified by the user and causes the image displaying unit to display a thumbnail image corresponding to the thumbnail image data.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a playback unit for playing back the video file, the playback unit playing back the video file from a frame corresponding to the specified thumbnail image data upon the user operation unit receiving an instruction to specify a given thumbnail image data.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thumbnail creating unit switches the thumbnail image data at predetermined intervals to cause the thumbnail images, corresponding to the thumbnail image data, to be displayed.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thumbnail creating unit sets a frame corresponding to the thumbnail image data specified by a user with the user operation unit as a starting point, whereas the thumbnail creating unit sets a frame corresponding to the thumbnail image data following the specified thumbnail image data as an ending point, creates the thumbnail image data while considering an interval from the starting frame to the ending frame as the total playback duration time T, and causes the thumbnail images, corresponding to the thumbnail image data, to be displayed.

6. A video playback apparatus comprising:

a thumbnail creating unit for creating thumbnail image data for still image files; and

a user operation unit for receiving an instruction from a user, wherein

the thumbnail creating unit divides the still image files into 2ˆ

n (n is an integer not less than

     0) groups, creates the thumbnail image data from the first still image file of each of the divided groups, and supplies the created thumbnail image data to an image displaying unit to cause the image displaying unit to display thumbnail images corresponding to the thumbnail image data, and wherein

upon the user operation unit receiving a first predetermined operation, the thumbnail creating unit increments the value n by 1 to increase the number of thumbnail images, corresponding to thumbnail image data, to be displayed on the image displaying unit, whereas

upon the user operation unit receiving a second predetermined operation, the thumbnail creating unit decrements the value n by 1 to decrease the number of thumbnail images, corresponding to the thumbnail image data, to be displayed on the image displaying unit.

7. An image displaying method allowing creation of thumbnail image data from a video file and displaying of thumbnail images corresponding to the thumbnail image data, the method comprising the steps of:

dividing a total playback duration time T of the video file into 2ˆ

n (n is an integer not less than

     0) intervals;

creating the thumbnail image data from image data of the first frame of each of the divided intervals;

supplying the created thumbnail image data to an image displaying unit to cause the image displaying unit to display the thumbnail images corresponding to the thumbnail image data; and

incrementing, upon a first predetermined operation being performed, the value n by 1 to increase the number of thumbnail images, corresponding to the thumbnail image data, to be displayed on the image displaying unit, whereas decrementing, upon a second predetermined operation being performed, the value n by 1 to decrease the number of thumbnail images, corresponding to the thumbnail image data, to be displayed on the image displaying unit.