Image processing apparatus and control method therefor

• US 7,916,955 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kirihara, Satoshi, Aratani, Shuntaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Phuoc
• Application Number:
  US12/060,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20080247673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 382/232, 382/234, 382/302, 382/303, 382/304, 345/506, 375/240.26, 375/240.27
• US Class Current: 382/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption

Abstract

In a first image processing apparatus, a first image processing unit 104 applies image processing to video content stored in a first storage unit. At this time, the first image processing unit stores information relating to detail and progress of the applied image processing in an image processing information storage unit as image processing information. In a case in which the first image processing unit interrupts the image processing being applied and the interrupted image processing is taken over and executed by a second image processing apparatus, the partially processed video content and the corresponding image processing information are transferred to the second image processing apparatus.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus that applies image processing to each of a plurality of frames constituting stored video content, comprising:

an image processing unit that sequentially applies image processing for improving image quality to the plurality of frames constituting the video content from a first frame;

a storage unit that stores image processing information that includes information relating to detail and progress of the image processing; and

a transfer unit that, in a case in which the image processing is interrupted after the image processing has been applied to a part of the plurality of frames constituting the video content, transfers the video content and the image processing information regarding the image processing to another image processing apparatus in order to apply the image processing to the frames, within the video content, to which the image processing has not been applied,

wherein the information relating to detail of the image processing included in the image processing information regarding the image processing includes information relating to a kind of the image processing, and

wherein the information relating to progress of the image processing included in the image processing information regarding the image processing is frame number information which indicates a last frame, within the video content, to which the image processing has been applied, and

wherein the transfer unit transfers the video content and the video processing information using a content for transfer in which the image processing information is multiplexed with the video content.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing unit interrupts the application of the image processing in a case in which, during application of the image processing to the video content, the application of the image processing cannot be continued due to a priority process.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content for transfer complies with Moving Picture Expert Group 2-Transport Stream (MPEG2-TS) format and the image processing information is multiplexed to the content for transfer as a new section in the MPEG2-TS format.

4. An image processing apparatus having an image processing unit capable of applying image processing to each of a plurality of frames constituting video content, the image processing apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit that receives from another image processing apparatus video content and image processing information that includes information relating to a kind of an image processing that the other image processing apparatus has applied to a part of the plurality of frames of the video content and frame number information which indicates a last frame, within the video content, to which the image processing has been applied; and

a selection unit that selects an image processing to be carried out by the image processing unit based on the information relating to the kind of the image processing included in the image processing information received by the receiving unit,

wherein the image processing unit applies the image processing selected by the selection unit to frames of the plurality of frames constituting the video content, received from the other image processing apparatus, from a frame of the video content next to the frame indicated by the frame number information.

5. A control method for an image processing apparatus that applies image processing to each of a plurality of frames constituting stored video content, the control method comprising:

sequentially applying image processing for improving image quality to the plurality of frames constituting the video content with an image processing unit from a first frame;

storing in a storage unit image processing information that includes information relating to detail and progress of the image processing; and

transferring, in a case in which the image processing is interrupted after the image processing has been applied to a part of the plurality of frames constituting the video content, the video content and the image processing information regarding the image processing to another image processing apparatus in order to apply the image processing to the frames, within the video content, to which the image processing has not been applied,

wherein the information relating to detail of the image processing included in the image processing information regarding the image processing includes information relating to a kind of the image processing, and

wherein the information relating to progress of the image processing included in the image processing information regarding the image processing is frame number information which indicates a last frame, within the video content, to which the image processing has been applied, and

wherein the transferring comprises transferring the video content and the video processing information using a content for transfer in which the image processing information is multiplexed with the video content.

6. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the application of the image processing interrupts in a case in which, during the application of the image processing to the video content, the application of the image processing cannot be continued due to a priority process.

7. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the content for transfer complies with MPEG2-TS format and the image processing information is multiplexed to the content for transfer as a new section in the MPEG2-TS format.

8. A control method for an image processing apparatus having an image processing unit capable of applying image processing to each of a plurality of frames constituting video content, the control method comprising:

receiving from another image processing apparatus video content and image processing information that includes information relating to a kind of an image processing that the other image processing apparatus has applied to a part of the plurality of frames of the video content and frame number information which indicates a last frame, within the video content, to which the image processing has been applied;

selecting an image processing to be carried out by the image processing unit based on the information relating to the kind of the image processing included in the image processing information received in the receiving step; and

applying the image processing selected in the selecting step to frames of the plurality of frames constituting the video content, received from the other image processing apparatus, from a frame of the video content next to the frame indicated by the frame number information using the image processing unit.