Image Processing Apparatus, Image Processing Method, and Program

• US 20110182498A1
• Filed: 12/10/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ushiki, Suguru, MORIFUJI, Takafumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,520,963 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/00 Image coding bandwidth or redundancy reduction for static pictures H04N1/41; coding or decoding of static colour picture signals H04N1/64; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/001 Model-based coding, e.g. wire frame

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes a viewing situation analyzing unit configured to obtain information representing a user'"'"'s viewing situation of 3D content stored in a certain storage unit, and, based on a preset saving reference in accordance with a viewing situation of 3D content, determine a data reduction level of content data of the 3D content stored in the storage unit; and a data conversion unit configured to perform data compression of the content data of the 3D content stored in the storage unit in accordance with the determined data reduction level.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

viewing situation analyzing means for obtaining information representing a user'"'"'s viewing situation of 3D content stored in certain storage means, and, based on a preset saving reference in accordance with a viewing situation of 3D content, determining a data reduction level of content data of the 3D content stored in the storage means; and

data conversion means for performing data compression of the content data of the 3D content stored in the storage means in accordance with the determined data reduction level.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information representing the viewing situation includes an elapsed time since the 3D content has been saved in the storage means, and

wherein the viewing situation analyzing means determines the data reduction level of the content data of the 3D content stored in the storage means in accordance with the elapsed time.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information representing the viewing situation further includes the number of viewing times of the 3D content, and

wherein the viewing situation analyzing means determines the data reduction level of the content data of the 3D content stored in the storage means in accordance with the elapsed time and the number of viewing times.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the viewing situation analyzing means determines, in addition to the data reduction level, a data reduction method, and

wherein the data conversion means performs data compression of the content data of the 3D content stored in the storage means in accordance with the determined data reduction level and the determined data reduction method.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the data reduction method is one of bit rate conversion, resolution conversion, format conversion, and parallax control.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising reproducing means for reproducing the 3D content stored in the storage means,

wherein the viewing situation analyzing means obtains information representing the user'"'"'s viewing situation of the 3D content reproduced by the reproducing means, and, based on the saving reference, determines the data reduction level of the content data of the 3D content reproduced by the reproducing means.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, when the data conversion means performs data compression of the content data of the 3D content stored in the storage means, the storage means stores the data-compressed content data of the 3D content, and

wherein the image processing apparatus further comprises image quality improvement means for applying an image quality improvement process to the data-compressed content data of the 3D content, and

wherein the reproducing means reproduces the content data of the 3D content that has been processed by the image quality improvement means.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising setting input means for accepting a setting of a saving reference in accordance with the viewing situation of the 3D content,

wherein the viewing situation analyzing means determines the data reduction level of the content data of the 3D content stored in the storage means, based on the saving reference in accordance with the viewing situation of the 3D content, the saving reference being set by the user using the setting input means.

9. An image processing method in which an image processing apparatus that processes image data performs a process comprising:

obtaining information representing a user'"'"'s viewing situation of 3D content stored in certain storage means, and, based on a preset saving reference in accordance with a viewing situation of 3D content, determining a data reduction level of content data of the 3D content stored in the storage means; and

performing data compression of the content data of the 3D content stored in the storage means in accordance with the determined data reduction level.

10. A program for causing a computer to function as:

viewing situation analyzing means for obtaining information representing a user'"'"'s viewing situation of 3D content stored in certain storage means, and, based on a preset saving reference in accordance with a viewing situation of 3D content, determining a data reduction level of content data of the 3D content stored in the storage means; and

data conversion means for performing data compression of the content data of the 3D content stored in the storage means in accordance with the determined data reduction level.

11. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a viewing situation analyzing unit configured to obtain information representing a user'"'"'s viewing situation of 3D content stored in a certain storage unit, and, based on a preset saving reference in accordance with a viewing situation of 3D content, determine a data reduction level of content data of the 3D content stored in the storage unit; and

a data conversion unit configured to perform data compression of the content data of the 3D content stored in the storage unit in accordance with the determined data reduction level.