CONTENT SHOOTING APPARATUS

• US 20100091113A1
• Filed: 03/11/2008
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Inoue, Hisashi, Kobayashi, Masaaki, Matsuura, Kenji, Morioka, Yoshihiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,643,745 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/147 Scene change detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A content shooting apparatus is provided which is suitable for generating a digest meeting the user'"'"'s desire.

A scene information generation portion detects a characteristic scene with reference to a parameter contained in either video/audio in content recorded during shooting operation information for the shooting apparatus, and generates scene information, an auxiliary information assignment portion assigns the scene information its type, priority, start time, end time, or representative time as auxiliary information in accordance with a prescribed rule, a listing portion makes a list of the scene information and the auxiliary information thereof, and a scene sorting-out portion sorts out scenes from the content with reference to the priority, such that the number of scenes is within a predetermined range.

Claims

1. A content shooting apparatus for recording content containing video, audio, or data onto a recording medium, in combination with scene information for the content, and accessing a specific scene in the content with reference to the scene information, the apparatus comprising:

scene information generation means for detecting a characteristic scene with reference to a parameter contained in either video/audio information recorded during shooting or operation information for the shooting apparatus, and generating the scene information;

auxiliary information assignment means for assigning the scene information its type, priority, start time, end time, or representative time as auxiliary information in accordance with a prescribed rule;

listing means for making a list of the scene information and the auxiliary information thereof; and

scene sorting-out means for sorting out scenes from the content with reference to the priority after a recording operation to the recording medium, such that the number of scenes is within a predetermined range.

2. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scene sorting-out means includes at least one of high priority scene sorting-out means for sorting out the scene information in descending order of priority and low priority scene sorting-out means for sorting out the scene information in ascending order of priority.

3. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the high priority scene sorting-out means sorts out high priority scenes from shot content having removed therefrom scenes sorted out by the low priority scene sorting-out means.

4. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for setting a method for selecting the scene information;

second-type priority means for computing a combination of plural pieces of scene information on the list in accordance with an arithmetic system determined by the setting means, and assigning second-type priority to the scene information;

auxiliary information assignment means for assigning auxiliary information to the scene information, the auxiliary information being at least one of start time, end time, and representative time of a characteristic scene with the second-type priority; and

second-type priority list generation means for sorting out scene information from the list in descending order of second-type priority, such that the number of pieces of scene information is within a predetermined range, and generating a second-type priority list.

5. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising second-type priority listing means for providing the second-type priority list to a file to be referenced for playing back the shot content.

6. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising skip means for referencing the second-type priority list at the time of playback to skip from the start point, representative point, or end point of the characteristic scene to a referenced point.

7. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising scene playback means for playing back characteristic scene sections in a specified order with reference to the second-type priority list.

8. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising ticker display means for providing descriptions about characteristic scenes in characteristic scene sections, the descriptions being superimposed on playback video as tickers while playing back the characteristic scene sections in a specified order.

9. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

digest scheme specification means for receiving a specification of at least one of the following items concerning characteristic scenes to be included in a digest;

priority, type, digest time length, and content-to-digest reduction ratio;

means for generating the file to be referenced for playback in accordance with a digest generation scheme specified by the digest scheme specification means, while referring to the second-type priority list, which is auxiliary data for the file to be referenced for playback; and

registration means for registering the file to be referenced for playback on a list of the content.

10. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising ticker display means for providing descriptions about characteristic scenes in characteristic scene sections, the descriptions being superimposed on playback video as tickers while playing back the characteristic scene sections with reference to the file to be referenced for playback.

11. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

digest scheme specification means for receiving a specification of at least one of the following items concerning characteristic scenes to be included in a digest;

priority, type, digest time length, and content-to-digest reduction ratio; and

file generation means for generating a file containing a collection of specified characteristic scenes in accordance with a digest generation scheme specified by the digest scheme specification means, while referring to the second-type priority list, which is auxiliary data for the file to be referenced for playback.

12. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

digest scheme specification means for receiving a specification of at least one of the following items concerning characteristic scenes to be included in a digest;

priority, type, digest time length, and content-to-digest reduction ratio; and

playback means for playing back a string of unspecified characteristic scene sections in accordance with a digest generation scheme specified by the digest scheme specification means, while referring to the second-type priority list, which is auxiliary data for the file to be referenced for playback.

13. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

digest scheme specification means for receiving a specification of at least one of the following items concerning characteristic scenes to be included in a digest;

priority, type, digest time length, and content-to-digest reduction ratio; and

file generation means for generating a file obtained by collecting shot sections not specified at the time of playback, in accordance with a digest generation scheme specified by the digest scheme specification means, while referring to the second-type priority list, which is auxiliary data for the file to be referenced for playback.

14. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising playback means for performing playback with reference to the second-type priority list, which is auxiliary data for the file to be referenced for playback, such that sections specified at the time of playback are played back at normal speed, and shot sections not specified at the time of playback are played back at a “

playback speed changed from normal”

or with “

playback video being additionally processed”

.

15. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising playback/display means for playing back shot video in slow motion, at high speed, in skip mode, or in still image display mode, wherein the playback is performed at the “

playback speed changed from normal”

.

16. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising video generation means for generating video by removing any horizontal and vertical jiggle due to camerawork from shot video, wherein the playback is performed with the “

playback video being additionally processed”

.

17. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

file generation means for generating a file to be referenced for playing back a recommendation based on the file to be referenced for playback registered on the list of the content, the file to be referenced for recommendation playback consisting of scenes at a predetermined priority level or higher or scenes taken by specific camerawork; and

registration means for registering the file to be referenced for recommendation playback with a recommended playback object list.

18. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for generating background music when playing back the file to be referenced for playback registered on the list of the content; and

alteration means for changing the background music in at least one of melody, tone, and tempo immediately before switching of characteristic scenes in the file to be referenced for playback.

19. A content shooting apparatus for recording content containing video, audio, or data onto a recording medium, in combination with metadata, and accessing a specific portion of the content denoted by the metadata, the apparatus comprising:

a standard camerawork presence probability list generated based on an expected occurrence rate for a camerawork type prescribed for each type of events to be shot;

camerawork detection means for detecting camerawork at predetermined time intervals and counting occurrences of the detected camerawork;

camerawork count comparison means for comparing the count of the detected camerawork with the expected occurrence rate for the camerawork; and

beyond-range expected occurrence rate notification means for generating a signal indicating a beyond-range expected occurrence rate when the count of the detected camerawork is out of the range of the expected occurrence rate for the camerawork.

20. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising shooting assist means for generating a message prompting camerawork control within the range of the expected occurrence rate, in response to the signal indicating the beyond-range expected occurrence rate.

21. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising:

metadata generation means for detecting a event based on a parameter contained in either information concerning video, audio, and shooting operation, or control information in a shooting environment during shooting, or based on a change of the parameter, and generating metadata for the event;

assignment means for assigning an attribute to the metadata in accordance with a prescribed rule, the attribute being at least a type of the event, a priority level of the event, or a start time, end time, and representative time of the event;

listing means for listing metadata with the attribute;

metadata sorting-out means for sorting out the listed metadata in descending order of priority after a recording operation to the recording medium, such that the number of pieces of metadata is within a predetermined range; and

recording means for recording a list of metadata sorted out by the metadata sorting-out means onto the recording medium.

22. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising:

camerawork generation means for computing a temporal change in at least one of the following shooting apparatus operations and generating camerawork;

panning, tilting, zooming in, zooming out, forward-backward movement, rightward-leftward movement, and vertical movement; and

camerawork registration means for registering an output from the camerawork generation means as a prescribed type of camerawork for each type of events to be shot.

23. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising saving means for holding in advance as reference data an expected occurrence rate for camerawork to occur in at least one of the following events to be shot:

athletic meet, entrance ceremony, graduation ceremony, trip, recital, wedding ceremony, sports, indoor event, and outdoor event.

24. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the shooting assist means includes at least one of the following shooting assist algorithms:

shooting assist algorithm for zooming out to induce fixed shots when most shooting operations are performed in zooming-in mode;

shooting assist algorithm for inducing fixed shots when most shooting operations are performed in zooming and panning modes; and

shooting assist algorithm for inducing movement, panning, and zooming when most shooting operations are fixed shots performed at fixed points.