Video editing scheme using icons directly obtained from coded video data

• US 6,192,183 B1
• Filed: 05/30/1997
• Issued: 02/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Inventors: Hamada, Hiroshi, Tonomura, Yoshinobu, Niikura, Yasuhiro, Taniguchi, Yukinobu
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US08/866,341
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 386/4, 386/52, 386/45, 386/64, 386/69-70, 386/125-126, 386/26, 386/38, 386/95, 386/111-112, 345/328, 348/699-700
• US Class Current: 386/282
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/745 the internal structure of a single video sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7844 using original textual content or text extracted from visual content or transcript of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7864 using domain-transform features, e.g. DCT or wavelet transform coefficients
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2525 Magneto-optical [MO] discs
• 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 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• 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 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/142 Detection of scene cut or scene change
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/179 the unit being a scene or a shot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/87 involving scene cut or scene change detection in combination with video compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/147 Scene change detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A video editing scheme for enabling a video editing operation on the coded video data efficiently. In a system in which the coded video data are decoded and displayed on a video display device, events including scene changes are detected from the coded video data, and icons are produced from the coded video data in correspondence to the detected events. On the other hand, playback possible positions from which the coded video data can be playbacked smoothly are determined, and an index information including an information on the produced icons and the determined playback possible positions is managed. Then, a plurality of icons are displayed on a single display, and a user is allowed to specify a desired icon among the displayed icons on the single display. Then, one playback possible position corresponding to the desired icon specified by the user is obtained according to the managed index information, and the coded video data are supplied to the video display device starting from the obtained playback possible position.

Claims

1. A video editing apparatus, comprising:

a video display unit for decoding and displaying coded video data;

an event detection unit for detecting events including scene changes, from the coded video data;

an icon production unit for producing icons from the coded video data in correspondence to the events detected by the event detection unit;

a playback possible position detection unit for determining playback possible positions from which the coded video data can be playbacked smoothly;

an index information management unit for managing an index information including an information on the icons produced by the icon production unit and the playback possible positions determined by the playback possible position detection unit;

a display input unit functioning as a user interface for displaying a plurality of icons produced by the icon production unit on a single display, and allowing a user to specify a desired icon among said plurality of icons on the single display; and

a control unit for obtaining one playback possible position corresponding to the desired icon specified by the user at the display input unit according to the index information managed by the index information management unit, and supplying the coded video data to the video display unit starting from said one playback possible position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display input unit allows the user to specify a desired arrangement order of more than one icons on the single display, and the control unit supplies the coded video data to the video display unit according to the desired arrangement order specified by the user at the display input unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the icon production unit produces each icon by obtaining a reduced image from an intra-field coded image retrieved from the coded video data.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the icon production unit obtains the reduced image corresponding to each event from a first intra-field coded image which appears in the coded video data after each event.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a control data extraction unit for extracting control data necessary in decoding and displaying the coded video data, from the coded video data;

wherein the control unit supplies the control data extracted by the control data extraction unit to the video display unit before supplying the coded video data.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display input unit selects those events which satisfy a prescribed condition among the events detected by the event detection unit, and displays only those icons which are corresponding to selected events.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the prescribed condition specifies an event type of events to be selected.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the playback possible position detection unit determines a playback possible position in correspondence to each event detected by the event detection unit, and the index information management unit manages the playback possible position for each event separately.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the index information managed by the index information management unit contains an event type of each event, a playback possible position for each event, and a pointer to an icon for each event, in correspondence.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the index information management unit manages an information on an icon for each event in correspondence to an event time of each event, while separately managing the playback possible positions in correspondence to times of the playback possible positions.

11. A video editing method, comprising the steps of:

(a) decoding and displaying coded video data on a video display device;

(b) detecting events including scene changes, from the coded video data;

(c) producing icons from the coded video data in correspondence to the events detected by the step (b);

(d) determining playback possible positions from which the coded video data can be playbacked smoothly;

(e) managing an index information including an information on the icons produced by the step (c) and the playback possible positions determined by the step (d);

(f) displaying a plurality of icons produced by the step (c) on a single display, and allowing a user to specify a desired icon among said plurality of icons on the single display; and

(g) obtaining one playback possible position corresponding to the desired icon specified by the user at the step (f) according to the index information managed by the step (e), and supplying the coded video data to the video display device starting from said one playback possible position.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step (f) allows the user to specify a desired arrangement order of more than one icons on the single display, and the step (g) supplies the coded video data to the video display device according to the desired arrangement order specified by the user at the step (f).

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step (c) produces each icon by obtaining a reduced image from an intra-field coded image retrieved from the coded video data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step (c) obtains the reduced image corresponding to each event from a first intra-field coded image which appears in the coded video data after each event.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

(h) extracting control data necessary in decoding and displaying the coded video data, from the coded video data; and

(i) supplying the control data extracted by the step (h) to the video display device before the step (g) supplies the coded video data.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the (f) selects those events which satisfy a prescribed condition among the events detected by the step (b), and displays only those icons which are corresponding to selected events.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the prescribed condition specifies an event type of events to be selected.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the step (d) determines a playback possible position in correspondence to each event detected by the step (b), and the step (e) manages the playback possible position for each event separately.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the index information managed by the step (e) contains an event type of each event, a playback possible position for each event, and a pointer to an icon for each event, in correspondence.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the step (e) manages an information on an icon for each event in correspondence to an event time of each event, while separately managing the playback possible positions in correspondence to times of the playback possible positions.

21. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to function as a video editing system in which coded video data are decoded and displayed by a video display device, the computer readable program means including;

first computer readable program code means for causing the computer to function as an event detection unit for detecting events including scene changes, from the coded video data;

second computer readable program code means for causing the computer to function as an icon production unit for producing icons from the coded video data in correspondence to the events detected by the first computer readable program code means;

third computer readable program code means for causing the computer to function as a playback possible position detection unit for determining playback possible positions from which the coded video data can be playbacked smoothly;

fourth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to function as an index information management unit for managing an index information including an information on the icons produced by the second computer readable program code means and the playback possible positions determined by the third computer readable program code means;

fifth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to function as a user interface for displaying a plurality of icons produced by the second computer readable program code means on a single display, and allowing a user to specify a desired icon among said plurality of icons on the single display; and

sixth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to function as a control unit for obtaining one playback possible position corresponding to the desired icon specified by the user at the user interface according to the index information managed by the fourth computer readable program code means, and supplying the coded video data to the video display device starting from said one playback possible position.