IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR

• US 20080247673A1
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Aratani, Shuntaro, Kirihara, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,916,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/304
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption

Abstract

In a first image processing apparatus, a first image processing unit 104 applies image processing to video content stored in a first storage unit. At this time, the first image processing unit stores information relating to detail and progress of the applied image processing in an image processing information storage unit as image processing information. In a case in which the first image processing unit interrupts the image processing being applied and the interrupted image processing is taken over and executed by a second image processing apparatus, the partially processed video content and the corresponding image processing information are transferred to the second image processing apparatus.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus that applies image processing to stored video content, comprising:

an image processing unit that applies image processing to the video content;

a storage unit that stores image processing information that includes information relating to detail and progress of the image processing; and

a transfer unit that, in a case in which the image processing is interrupted, transfers the video content and the image processing information to another image processing apparatus,

wherein the transfer unit transfers a content for transfer in which the image processing information is multiplexed with the video content.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing unit interrupts the image processing in a case in which, during application of the image processing, the image processing cannot be continued due to a priority process.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content for transfer complies with Moving Picture Expert Group 2-Transport Stream (MPEG2-TS) format and the image processing information is multiplexed as a new section in the MPEG2-TS format.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing is carried out at each frame that constitutes the video content and the information relating to the detail and the progress of the image processing is information indicating an already processed frame.

5. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as the units of the image processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. An image processing apparatus having an image processing unit capable of applying image processing to video content, the image processing apparatus as a first image processing apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit that receives from a second image processing apparatus video content and image processing information that includes information relating to detail and progress of unfinished second image processing carried out by the second image processing apparatus on the video content; and

a selection unit that selects first image processing to be carried out by the image processing unit based on at least one of the information relating to the detail and the progress of the second image processing,

the image processing unit applying the first image processing selected by the selection unit to the video content received from the second image processing apparatus.

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

the selection unit selects, as the first image processing, a same image processing as the second image processing carried out by the second image processing apparatus based on the information relating to the detail and the progress of the second image processing included in the image processing information; and

the image processing unit applies the first image processing to that portion of the video content on which the second image processing apparatus has not carried out the second image processing based on the information relating to the detail and the progress of the second image processing.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the selection unit selects, as the first image processing, image processing that uses a scheme different from a scheme used in the second image processing carried out by the second image processing apparatus in a case in which it is determined that an amount of the video content on which the second image processing has not been carried out exceeds a threshold value based on the information relating to the detail and the progress included in the image processing information.

9. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as the units of the image processing apparatus according to claim 6.

10. A control method for an image processing apparatus that applies image processing to stored video content, the control method comprising:

applying image processing to the video content with an image processing unit;

storing in a storage unit image processing information that includes information relating to detail and status of the image processing; and

transferring the video content and the image processing information to another image processing apparatus in a case in which the image processing is interrupted,

wherein the transferring comprises transferring a content for transfer in which the image processing information is multiplexed with the video content.

11. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the image processing interrupts the image processing in a case in which, during application of the image processing, the image processing cannot be continued due to a priority process.

12. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the content for transfer complies with MPEG2-TS format and the image processing information is multiplexed as a new section in the MPEG2-TS format.

13. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the image processing is carried out at each frame that constitutes the video content and the information relating to the status is information indicating an already processed frame.

14. A control method for a first image processing apparatus having an image processing unit capable of applying image processing to video content, the control method comprising:

receiving from a second image processing apparatus video content and image processing information that includes information relating to detail and progress of unfinished second image processing carried out by the second image processing apparatus on the video content;

selecting first image processing to be carried out by the image processing unit based on at least one of the information relating to the detail and the progress of the second image processing; and

applying the first image processing selected in the selection step to the video content received from the second image processing apparatus using the image processing unit.

15. The control method according to claim 14, wherein:

the selecting comprises selecting, as the first image processing, a same image processing as the second image processing carried out by the second image processing apparatus based on the information relating to the detail and the progress of the second image processing included in the image processing information; and

the image processing comprises applying the first image processing to that portion of the video content on which the second image processing apparatus has not carried out the second image processing based on the information relating to the detail and the progress of the image processing using the image processing unit.

16. The control method according to claim 14, wherein the selecting comprises selecting, as the first image processing, image processing that uses a scheme different from a scheme used in the second image processing carried out by the second image processing apparatus in a case in which it is determined that an amount of the video content on which the second image processing has not been carried out exceeds a threshold value based on the information relating to the detail and the progress included in the image processing information.