Apparatus and method for video processing, and storage medium and program therefor

• US 7,805,052 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2004
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Osamu, Abe, Mototsugu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hasan; Syed Y
• Application Number:
  US10/841,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20050002644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,335 Days
• Field of Search: 386/52, 386/46, 386/68, 386/69, 386/95, 386/125, 386/E5.043, 348/552, 348/E5.008, 348/E5.007, 348/E5.096, 348/E5.104, 348/E5.107, 358/908, 382/190, 725/32, 725/36, 725/40, 725/90, 725/91, 725/93, 725/97, 725/101, 725/114, 725/116, 725/133, 725/153, 725/39, 725/42, 725/51, 725/44, 375/E7.025, 705/14, 715/234, 715/260
• US Class Current: 386/326
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence

Abstract

A video recording apparatus for continuously presenting a main program to a user without a break while presenting a commercial. A main program buffer records a main program of a video signal in accordance with a temporal position of at least the main program or commercials in the video signal, and a commercial buffer records the commercials. A controller determines whether a current time is in a period to display a commercial, on the basis of at least the temporal position of the main program or the commercials in the video signal. A mixer mixes the main program and the commercials such that the main program is temporally continuously displayed in a full screen area and such that a commercial is displayed in a small area in the bottom right corner of the screen during a period in which the commercial should be displayed.

Claims

1. A video processing apparatus comprising:

first storage control means for, when a video signal including a first image and a second image temporally inserted in the first image is given, controlling storing of the first image of the video signal, on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the second image in the video signal;

second storage control means for controlling of storing the second image on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the second image in the video signal;

image detection means for detecting the second image from the video signal,

wherein the image detection means include;

a transition detecting unit that detects, from the video signal, a plurality of image transition frames for determining candidates of the second image signal, and

a judgment unit that selects a candidate with a minimum broadcast period as the second image for a temporal position when more than one candidate starts at the same temporal position and removes the selected candidate from a candidate list so that the selected candidate is excluded from being selected again;

determination means for determining whether a current period is a period during which to display the second image, on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the second image in the video signal; and

mixing means for mixing the stored first and second images such that the first image is displayed temporally continuously in a first area of a screen and such that if the current period is determined as a period during which the second image should be displayed, the second image is displayed in a second area of the screen,

wherein the second image is repeatedly displayed in the second area in the period during the second image is displayed.

2. A video processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first image is a main program image in the video signal;

and

the second image is a commercial image.

3. A video processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first storage control means controls storing of the first image of the video signal in accordance with detection of the second image by the image detection means;

the second storage control means controls storing of the second image of the video signal in accordance with detection of the second image by the image detection means; and

the determination means determines whether the current period is a period during which to display the second image, in accordance with detection of the second image by the image detection means.

4. A video processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

reception control means for controlling receiving of position information indicating a position of at least one of the first image and the second image in the video signal;

wherein the first storage control means controls storing of the first image of the video signal in accordance with the position information;

the second storage control means controls storing of the second image of the video signal in accordance with the position information; and

the determination means determines whether the current period is a period during which to display the second image, on the basis of the position information.

5. A video processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

reduction means for reducing the second image;

wherein the second storage means controls storing of the reduced second image;

and the mixing means mixes the stored first image and the reduced second image.

6. A video processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

first reduction means for reducing the first image; and

second reduction means for reducing the second image,

wherein the first storage means controls storing of the reduced first image;

the second storage means controls storing of the reduced second image; and

the mixing means mixes the stored reduced first image and reduced second image.

7. A video processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the determination means determines, on the basis of the position of at least one of the first image and the second image in the video signal, whether the current period is a period during which to display the second image such that the second image is displayed temporally repeatedly in the second area.

8. A video processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the mixing means mixes the stored first image and second image such that the second image is displayed in a plurality of second areas on the screen.

9. A video processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the mixing means mixes the stored first image and second image such that the first image is displayed in the first area whose horizontal center is coincident with the horizontal center of the screen and/or whose vertical center is coincident with the vertical center of the screen.

10. A video processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

storage means for storing the video signal,

wherein the first storage control means controls storing of the first image of the video signal read from the storage means; and

the second storage control means controls storing of the second image of the video signal read from the storage means.

11. A video processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

storage means for storing the video signal including the first image and the second image mixed together by the mixing means.

12. The video processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination means determines a display time period for the video signal, and

wherein a display time of the first image and the second image does not exceed the display time period.

13. A video processing method comprising:

a first storage control step of, when a video signal including a first image and a second image temporally inserted in the first image is given, controlling storing of the first image of the video signal, on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the second image in the video signal;

a second storage control step of controlling of storing the second image on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the second image in the video signal;

a detecting step of detecting, from the video signal, a plurality of image transition frames for determining candidates of the second image signal;

a judging step of selecting a candidate with a minimum broadcast period as the second image for a temporal position when more than one candidate starts at the same temporal position and removing the selected candidate from a candidate list so that the selected candidate is excluded from being selected again;

a determination step of determining whether a current period is a period during which to display the second image, on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the second image in the video signal;

a mixing step of mixing the stored first and second images such that the first image is displayed temporally continuously in a first area of a screen and such that if the current period is determined as a period during which the second image should be displayed, the second image is displayed in a second area of the screen; and

a displaying step of repeatedly displaying, on a display unit, the second image in the second area in the period during the second image is displayed.

14. The video processing method according to claim 13, further comprising:

a second determination step of determining a display time period for the video signal, and

controlling a display time of the first image and the second image such that display of the first image and the second image not exceed the display time period.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing a computer program causing a computer to execute video processing comprising:

a first storage control step of, when a video signal including a first image and a second image temporally inserted in the first image is given, controlling storing of the first image of the video signal, on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the second image in the video signal;

a second storage control step of controlling of storing the second image on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the second image in the video signal;

a detecting step of detecting, from the video signal, a plurality of image transition frames for determining candidates of the second image signal;

a judging step of selecting a candidate with a minimum broadcast period as the second image for a temporal position when more than one candidate starts at the same temporal position and removing the selected candidate from a candidate list so that the selected candidate is excluded from being selected again;

a determination step of determining whether a current period is a period during which to display the second image, on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the second image in the video signal;

a mixing step of mixing the stored first and second images such that the first image is displayed temporally continuously in a first area of a screen and such that if the current period is determined as a period during which the second image should be displayed, the second image is displayed in a second area of the screen; and

a displaying step of repeatedly displaying the second image in the second area in the period during the second image is displayed.

16. A video processing apparatus comprising:

first storage control means for, when a video signal including a first image and one or more continuous second images temporally inserted in the first image is given, controlling storing of the first image of the video signal, on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the one or more second images in the video signal;

second storage control means for controlling storing of the one or more second images on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the one or more second images in the video signal;

image detection means for detecting the second image from the video signal,

wherein the image detection means include;

a transition detecting unit that detects, from the video signal, a plurality of image transition frames for determining candidates of the second image signal, and

a judgment unit that selects a candidate with a minimum broadcast period as the second image for a temporal position when more than one candidate starts at the same temporal position and removes the selected candidate from a candidate list so that the selected candidate is excluded from being selected again; and

mixing means for mixing the first image and the one or more second images by sequentially selecting the stored first image or one or more second images on the basis of the temporal position of the one or more second images in the video signal such that the number of directly adjacent second images in the mixed images is smaller than or at most equal to the number of directly adjacent second images in the original video signal,

wherein the second image is repeatedly displayed in the second area in the period during the second image is displayed.

17. A video processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein:

the first image is a main program image in the video signal; and

the second image is a commercial image.

18. A video processing apparatus according to claim 16,

wherein the first storage control means controls storing of the first image of the video signal in accordance with detection of the second image by the image detection means;

the second storage control means controls storing of the second image of the video signal in accordance with detection of the second image by the image detection means; and

the mixing means mixes the first image and the second image by sequentially selecting the stored first image or second image in accordance with detection of the second image by the image detection means.

19. A video processing apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising:

reception control means for controlling receiving of position information indicating a position of the second image in the video signal,

wherein the first storage control means controls storing of the first image of the video signal in accordance with the position information;

the second storage control means controls storing of the second image of the video signal in accordance with the position information; and

the mixing means mixes the first image and the second image by sequentially selecting the stored first image or second image in accordance with the position information.

20. A video processing method comprising:

a first storage control step of, when a video signal including a first image and one or more continuous second images temporally inserted in the first image is given, controlling storing of the first image of the video signal, on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the one or more second images in the video signal;

a second storage control step of controlling storing of the one or more second images on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the one or more second images in the video signal;

a detecting step of detecting, from the video signal, a plurality of image transition frames for determining candidates of the second image signal;

a judging step of selecting a candidate with a minimum broadcast period as the second image for a temporal position when more than one candidate starts at the same temporal position and removing the selected candidate from a candidate list so that the selected candidate is excluded from being selected again;

a mixing step of mixing the first image and the one or more second images by sequentially selecting the stored first image or one or more second images on the basis of the temporal position of the one or more second images in the video signal such that the number of directly adjacent second images in the mixed images is smaller than or at most equal to the number of directly adjacent second images in the original video signal; and

a displaying step of repeatedly displaying, on a display unit, the second image in the second area in the period during the second image is displayed.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to execute video processing comprising:

a first storage control step of, when a video signal including a first image and one or more continuous second images temporally inserted in the first image is given, controlling storing of the first image of the video signal, on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the one or more second images in the video signal;

a second storage control step of controlling storing of the one or more second images on the basis of the temporal position of at least one of the first image and the one or more second images in the video signal;

a detecting step of detecting, from the video signal, a plurality of image transition frames for determining candidates of the second image signal;

a judging step of selecting a candidate with a minimum broadcast period as the second image for a temporal position when more than one candidate starts at the same temporal position and removing the selected candidate from a candidate list so that the selected candidate is excluded from being selected again;

a mixing step of mixing the first image and the one or more second images by sequentially selecting the stored first image or one or more second images on the basis of the temporal position of the one or more second images in the video signal such that the number of directly adjacent second images in the mixed images is smaller than or at most equal to the number of directly adjacent second images in the original video signal; and

a displaying step of repeatedly displaying the second image in the second area in the period during the second image is displayed.