Information reproducing method, information reproducing apparatus and information recording/reproducing apparatus

• US 6,483,983 B1
• Filed: 01/05/1999
• Issued: 11/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi ULSI Systems Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi ULSI Systems Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Yuzuru, Ito, Tamotsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US09/225,555
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.700, H04/N.593, G11/B 2.700, 386/46, 386/52, 386/55, 386/109, 386/4, 386/6, 386/68, 386/69, 386/53, 386/95, 386/107, 386/117, 386/38, 386/1
• US Class Current: 386/230
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 involving special video data, e.g 3D video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums

Abstract

A novel information reproducing apparatus and information recording/reproducing apparatus capable of searching and selecting information with ease through common manipulations independent of recording media. A recording medium is employed from which start positions of recorded picture programs and start positions of scenes composing each picture program can be read out as data. Symbols corresponding to the picture programs recorded on the recording medium are displayed in an array on a single display screen. A given one of the symbols being displayed is selected, and reduced start pictures of plural scenes, respectively, which compose a picture program affixed with the selected given symbol are displayed in a partitioned array on the single display screen. A desired one of the plural start pictures of reduced size which are being displayed is selected and determined for reproducing the scene corresponding to the determined start picture fully over the single display screen.

Claims

1. An information reproducing apparatus, wherein a recording medium is employed from which both address data of start positions of recorded picture programs and address data of start positions of plural scenes composing each of said picture programs can be read out, comprising:

means for displaying symbols corresponding to picture programs recorded on said recording medium in an array on a single display screen;

means for selecting a given one of said symbols being displayed;

means for displaying reduced-size start pictures of plural scenes, respectively, which constitute a picture program affixed with said selected given symbol in a partitioned array on said single display screen;

means for selecting a given one of said plural reduced-size start pictures which are being displayed; and

means for reproducing the scene corresponding to the reduced-size start picture selected and determined fully over said single display screen.

2. An information reproducing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said means for displaying the symbols corresponding to the picture programs includes means for generating an array of tags on said single display screen and displaying said symbols within said tags appropriately.

3. An information reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording medium is a medium on which a plurality of pictures taken at multiple angles are additionally recorded as multi-angle pictures and wherein address data of positions which correspond to said multiple angles can be read out from said recording medium, further comprising:

means for displaying a plurality of reduced-size pictures taken at multiple angles, respectively, in a partitioned array on said single display screen;

means for selecting a given one of said plural reduced-size pictures which are being displayed; and

means for reproducing the reduced-size picture selected and determined fully over said single display screen.

4. An information reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said recording medium is a medium on which a plurality of pictures taken at multiple angles are additionally recorded as multi-angle pictures and wherein address data of positions which correspond to said multiple angles can be read out from said recording medium, further comprising:

means for displaying a plurality of reduced-size pictures taken at multiple angles, respectively, in a partitioned array on said single display screen;

means for selecting a given one of said plural reduced-size pictures which are being displayed; and

means for reproducing the reduced-size picture selected and determined fully over said single display screen.

5. An information reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording medium is a medium on which plural types of sounds are recorded, being discriminatively identified by sound information and wherein data of each sound information can be read out from said recording medium, further comprising:

means for displaying said sound information in a partitioned array on the single display screen;

means for selecting a given one of said plural sound information being displayed; and

means for reproducing the sound corresponding to said sound information selected and determined.

6. An information recording/reproducing apparatus, wherein a recording medium from which address data of positions for recording can be read out is employed for recording a plurality of picture programs each including a plurality of streams each composed of a string of pictures recorded from a time point of starting the recording on said recording medium to a time point of stopping said recording, and wherein the picture is coded by an image compression coding method capable of generating at least I-picture, comprising:

means for storing address data of positions at which said streams are to be recorded and symbols to be affixed to the picture programs at least in either a memory or a free space area of said recording medium;

means for displaying the symbols corresponding, respectively, to the picture programs recorded on said recording medium in an array on a single display screen for reproduction of the picture programs recorded;

means for selecting a given one of the symbols which are being displayed;

means for displaying first I-pictures of plural streams constituting the picture program affixed with said selected symbol as representative reduced-size pictures each of a reduced scale on said single display screen;

means for selecting a given one from said plurality of representative reduced-size pictures which are being displayed; and

means for reproducing the stream represented by the representative reduced-size picture selected and determined fully over said display screen.

7. An information recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein said means for displaying the symbols corresponding to the picture programs in an array includes means for generating an array of tags on said display screen and displaying said symbols within said tags appropriately.

8. An information recording/reproducing apparatus, wherein a recording medium from which address data of positions for recording can be read out is employed for recording a plurality of picture programs each including a plurality of streams each composed of a string of pictures recorded from a time point of starting the recording on said recording medium to a time point of stopping said recording, comprising:

means for storing address data of positions at which said streams are to be recorded and symbols to be affixed to the picture programs at least in either a memory or said recording medium;

means for displaying the symbols corresponding, respectively, to the picture programs recorded on said recording medium in an array on a single display screen for reproduction of the picture programs recorded;

means for selecting a given one of the symbols which are being displayed;

means for displaying predetermined pictures, respectively, of plural streams constituting the picture program affixed with said selected symbol as representative reduced-size pictures each of a reduced scale on said single display screen;

means for selecting a given one from said plurality of representative reduced-size pictures which are being displayed; and

means for reproducing the stream represented by the representative reduced-size picture selected and determined fully over said display screen.

9. An information recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein said means for displaying the symbols corresponding to the picture programs in an array includes means for generating an array of said tags on said display screen and displaying said symbols within said tags appropriately.

10. An information recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 8,

further comprising:

means for determining a picture contained in the stream and selected by the user as said predetermined picture.

11. An information recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 9,

further comprising:

means for determining a picture contained in the stream and selected by the user as said predetermined picture.

12. An information recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 8,

further comprising:

means for determining as said predetermined picture either a still picture or a character image produced separately by the user.

13. An information recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 9,

further comprising:

means for determining as said predetermined picture either a still picture or a character image produced separately by the user.

14. An information recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 8,

further comprising:

means for determining one picture selected from a plurality of given streams as said predetermined picture.

15. An information recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 9,

further comprising:

means for determining one picture selected from a plurality of given streams as said predetermined picture.

16. An information reproducing method for reproducing information from a recording medium from which both address data of start positions of recorded picture programs and address data of start positions of plural scenes composing each of said picture programs can be read out,

said method comprising the steps of:

displaying symbols corresponding to picture programs recorded on said recording medium in an array on a single display screen; and

displaying reduced-size start pictures of plural scenes, respectively, which compose a picture program affixed with a given one symbol selected from those displayed, in a partitioned array on said single display screen by using the address data of the start positions of said plural scenes upon selection of said given one symbol.

17. An information reproducing method according to claim 16,

wherein when a given one of said reduced-size start pictures of said plural scenes is selectively determined, said given one start picture of relevant scene is reproduced fully over said single display screen.

18. An information reproducing method according to claim 16,

wherein pictures succeeding to the start pictures of the plural scenes being displaced each in a reduced size are displayed on said single display screen on a reduced scale.

19. An information reproducing method according to claim 18,

wherein when a given one of said reduced-size pictures which succeeds to said reduced-size start pictures is selected and determined, a start picture of the scene to which said determined reduced-size picture belongs is reproduced fully over said single display screen.