Image signal generating apparatus, image signal generating method, and image signal generating program

• US 8,339,515 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2008
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kondo, Tetsujiro, Watanabe, Yoshinori, Tanaka, Tsuyoshi, Ema, Takuro, Akiwa, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): SHANG, ANNAN Q
• Application Number:
  US12/136,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20090033795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: 725 37- 61, 725131-134, 725139-142, 725151-153, 348575-590
• US Class Current: 348/588
• 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 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/142 Edging; Contouring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/147 Scene change detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

Disclosed is an image signal generating apparatus that includes a video information obtaining unit that obtains a plurality of video information, a characteristic information obtaining unit that obtains a plurality of predetermined characteristic information from each of the plurality of video information obtained by the video information obtaining unit, and a sorting unit that changes an order of displaying the plurality of the video information based on each of the plurality of characteristic information obtained from the characteristic information obtaining unit. The image signal generating apparatus further includes a display image signal generating unit that generates a video signal to display the plurality of video information based on information obtained, as a result of changing the order of displaying the plurality of the video information, from the sorting unit.

Claims

1. An image signal generating apparatus comprising:

a video information obtaining unit configured to obtain video information from a plurality of channels;

a characteristic information obtaining unit configured to obtain a plurality of predetermined characteristic information from the video information of each channel, and to detect a change in the characteristic information obtained from the video information;

a sorting unit configured to generate a display order of the video information of each channel in order of a frequency of changes in the characteristic information; and

a display image signal generating unit configured to generate a video signal to display, via a display screen of a display device, the video information of each channel in an order based on the display order determined by the sorting unit.

2. An image signal generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic information obtaining unit detects subtitles in the video information.

3. An image signal generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic information obtaining unit detects scene changes in the video information.

4. The image signal generating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the characteristic information obtaining unit detects a scene change in the video information by calculating a difference value between video information of a current frame with video information of a preceding frame and determining whether the difference value exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

5. The image signal generating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the sorting unit changes the display order based on the frequency of the detected scene changes.

6. An image signal generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic information obtaining unit detects similarity with one of the plurality of video information stored in advance.

7. An image signal generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the characteristic information obtaining unit obtains information showing a content of the video information, and

the sorting unit changes the display order based on the information showing the content of the video information.

8. An image signal generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video signal generating unit generates a video signal to display a plurality of display regions on the display screen.

9. The image signal generating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

each display region contains video information from a different channel of the plurality of channels, and

the display regions are displayed in an order based on the display order.

10. An image signal generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video signal generating unit separately distributes video signals to a plurality of display screens to form a multiscreen.

11. The image signal generating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a frame thinning unit configured to reduce a frame rate and resolution of the video information of each channel before the characteristic information obtaining unit obtains the plurality of predetermined characteristic information.

12. The image signal generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic information obtaining unit detects subtitles in response to the subtitle being visible in the video information for a predetermined period of time.

13. The image signal generating apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the sorting unit changes the display order based on the frequency of the appearances of subtitles.

14. An image signal generating method implemented by an image signal generating apparatus comprising:

obtaining a video information from a plurality of channels;

obtaining various characteristic information from the video information of each channel;

detecting a change in the characteristic information obtained from the video information;

generating a display order of the video information of each channel in order of a frequency of changes in the characteristic information; and

generating a video signal to display, via a display screen of a display device, the video information of each channel in an order based on the display order.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions thereon which when executed by a image signal generating apparatus cause the image signal generating apparatus to perform a method comprising:

obtaining video information from a plurality of channels;

obtaining various characteristic information from the video information of each channel;

detecting a change in the characteristic information obtained from the video information;

changing a display order of the video information of each channel in order of a frequency of changes in the characteristic information; and

generating a video signal to display the video information of each channel in an order based on the display order.