Abstract: Links are set among three hierarchical data 170, 172, and 174 and one moving image data 182. When a display area overlaps with a link area 176 while an image is being displayed by using the hierarchical data 170, switching to display by use of the 0-th hierarchical level of the hierarchical data 172 is made (link a). When the display area overlaps with a link area 178 while an image is being displayed by using the hierarchical data 172, switching to display by use of the 0-th hierarchical level of the hierarchical data 174 is made (link b). The link destination of another link area 180 of the hierarchical data 170 is the moving image data 182 (link c) and moving image reproduction is started as a result of zoom-up of this area. The hierarchical data 170 and 172 are held on the client terminal side and the data existing on the other side of a switching boundary 184 are transmitted by a server to the client terminal in a data stream format.

Abstract: A timing signal generation unit of a content playback device generates a shutter control signal requesting the opening or closing of a shutter of a lens among one or more lenses of a pair of shutter glasses worn by a user viewing a display panel adapted to display content, and a backlight control signal requesting a backlight of the display panel to be turned on at least when the shutter is open. A transmitter unit transmits the shutter control signal to the shutter glasses. The timing signal generation unit changes at least one of the timing of turning on the backlight or the timing of opening the shutter of the lens of the shutter glasses.

Abstract: A capture device is equipped with a stereo camera, and generates a plurality of demosaiced images of different sizes in which the left and right frame images have been reduced in stepwise fashion. Further, by cycling through the pixel rows of the rows of the images according to a predetermined rule to produce a connected stream, there is generated a virtual composite image that includes the plurality of demosaiced images, in which the pixel rows of the rows are pixel rows having undergone one round of connection. A host terminal sends to the capture device a data request signal designating a plurality of areas within the composite image, having a shared range in the longitudinal direction. The capture device clips out the designated areas, and sends to the host terminal a stream of a new composite image comprising only the clipped out areas. The host terminal cuts this into separate images, which are expanded into consecutive addresses in a main memory.

Abstract: Frames of a moving image are configured as a hierarchical structure where each frame is represented with a plurality of resolutions. Some layers are set as original image layers, and the other layers are set as difference image layers in hierarchical data representing a frame at each time step. In the case that an area is to be displayed in the resolution of the difference image layer, to respective pixel values of a difference image of the area, respective pixel values of an image of a corresponding area retained by the original image layer of lower resolution, the image enlarged to the resolution of the difference image layer, are added. A layer to be set as a difference image layer is switched to another layer as time passes.

Abstract: A shift time monitoring section of a host terminal monitors a shift between the input timing of frame data from an imaging device and the ideal input timing for the frame data, the ideal input timing being obtained from the output frequency of a display. An operation cycle adjusting section transmits a request signal for adjusting the operation cycle per frame in the imaging device according to the magnitude of the shift in the input timing. An H-counter section of the imaging device counts the outputting of the horizontal synchronizing signal with a vertical synchronizing signal in the imaging device as a starting point, and generates a signal at a predetermined scanning line. A VSync adjusting counter section counts a pixel clock with the signal from the H-counter section as a starting point, and generates a vertical synchronization signal at a value set to the pixel clock.

Abstract: There is provided an image processing apparatus including a plurality of imaging units included in a stereo camera, the plurality of imaging units being configured to image a first chart pattern including a pattern that is a plurality of feature points and a mirror surface, and a correction parameter calculation unit configured to calculate a correction parameter that corrects a gap of the plurality of imaging units, based on the pattern included in the first chart pattern imaged by the plurality of imaging units and a pattern mirrored in the mirror surface.

Abstract: An image synthesis unit receives respective pixel values for a single horizontal row of a ¼ demosaiced image, a 1/16 demosaiced image, and a 1/64 demosaiced image from a pyramid filter for reducing, in a plurality of stages, a frame of a moving image that is captured. The image synthesis unit then connects the pixel values in a predetermined rule so as to generate a virtual synthesized image and outputs the synthesized image in the form of streams. A control unit of an image transmission unit notifies a data selection unit of a request from a host terminal. The data selection unit selects and extracts necessary data from respective streams of pieces of data of the synthesized image, a RAW image, and a 1/1 demosaiced image, and generates a stream of data to be transmitted. A packetizing unit packetizes the stream and transmits the packetized stream to the host terminal.

Abstract: A game controller includes a plurality of LEDs formed on the rear of a case. The plurality of LEDs are arranged two-dimensionally in its layout area. The game controller has a plurality of PWM control units which are provided inside the case and control the lighting of the plurality of LEDs, respectively. The PWM control units control the lighting of the LEDs based on a control signal from a game apparatus. The game apparatus acquires a captured image of the game controller, and acquires the position of the game controller in the captured image based on the positions of the LEDs in the captured image.

Abstract: A user enters an input for selecting an image-capturing mode. The user then captures the image of a target with a desired zoon factor as a target image. An image-capturing device determines a zoom factor for an image to be captured starting from the target image and then captures an image while zooming out to the determined zoom factor. A process of changing the zoom factor and capturing an image is repeated until the smallest zoom factor among determined zoom factors is used. When image capturing of an image of the smallest zoom factor is completed, metadata is created that includes the respective zoom factors of images and relative position information of the images, and the metadata is stored in a memory unit in relation with the data of the captured images.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus 12 includes a first camera 22 and a second camera 24. The cameras pick up an image of a target at the same timing and at the same frame rate from left and right positions spaced by a known distance from each other. Picked up frame images are converted into image data of a predetermined plurality of resolutions. An input information acquisition section 26 of an information processing apparatus 14 acquires an instruction input from a user. A position information production section 28 approximately estimates a region of the target or a region which involves some movement on an image of a low resolution and a wide range from within stereo image data as a target region and carries out stereo matching only in regard to the region on an image of a high resolution to specify a three-dimensional position of the target. An output information production section 32 carries out a necessary process based on the position of the target to produce output information.

Abstract: An imaging device 12 includes a first camera 22 and a second camera 24. Each of the cameras captures a subject from left and right positions that are apart by a known width at the same timing and frame rate. Each of the captured frame images is converted into image data with a plurality of predetermined resolutions. An input information acquisition section 26 of an information processor 14 acquires an instruction input from the user. A position information generation section 28 roughly estimates, as a target area, a subject area or an area with motion using low-resolution and wide-range images of pieces of stereo image data and performs stereo matching using high-resolution images only for the area, thus identifying the three-dimensional position of the subject. An output information generation section 32 performs a necessary process based on the position of the subject, thus generating output information. A communication section 30 requests image data to the imaging device 12 and acquires such image data.

Abstract: A game controller includes a plurality of LEDs formed on the rear of a case. The plurality of LEDs are arranged two-dimensionally in its layout area. The game controller has a plurality of PWM control units which are provided inside the case and control the lighting of the plurality of LEDs, respectively. The PWM control units control the lighting of the LEDs based on a control signal from a game apparatus. The game apparatus acquires a captured image of the game controller, and acquires the position of the game controller in the captured image based on the positions of the LEDs in the captured image.

Abstract: An image hierarchy generation unit reads image data stored in a hard disk drive, generate images with a plurality of resolutions, and hierarchizes the images. An image dividing unit divides the image in each layer into tile images. A redundancy detection unit analyzes the image in each layer so as to detect redundancy between images within the same layer or images from different layers. A tile image reference table creates a tile image reference table that maps area numbers to tile numbers, in view of the redundancy. An image file generation unit creates an image file that should be ultimately output and includes image data and the tile image reference table.

Abstract: A rendering process for rendering an image frame and a postprocess for adapting the image frame to a display are separated. A rendering processing unit 42 generates an image frame sequence by performing rendering at a predetermined frame rate regardless of a condition that the image frame should meet for output to the display. A postprocessing unit 50 subjects the image frame sequence generated by the rendering processing unit to a merge process so as to generate and output an updated image frame sequence that meets the condition. Since the rendering process and the postprocess are separated, the image frame sequence can be generated regardless of the specification of the display such as resolution and frame rate of the display.

Abstract: A main memory stores M-bit gradation image data (M is a natural number). A correction function generating unit generates a correction function in N-bit gradation (N is a natural number, N>M) from image data. A display image generating unit generates display image data using a correction function generated by the correction function generating unit. The display image generating unit uses a correction function so as to generate display image data resulting from correcting image data obtained by decoding compressed image data in M-bit gradation with the restriction of M-bit quantization.

Abstract: A hard disk drive stores hierarchical image data, a speed map holding, for each tile image, an index of the processing time required to render a tile image having a predetermined image size obtained by partitioning the image, and scenario data which defines viewpoint shifting. In a control unit of an information processing apparatus having a function of displaying an image, an input information acquisition unit acquires information with respect to the user's input operation via an input device. A loading unit loads necessary data for image displaying from the hard disk drive. A shifting condition adjustment unit adjusts the viewpoint shifting speed based upon the speed map. A frame coordinate determination unit sequentially determines frame coordinates of a display area. A decoding unit decodes compressed image data. A display image processing unit renders a display image.

Abstract: To provide an image processing technique for easy initial settings when a video image feature is used as an input interface. This is an image processor having an image combining section for combining a mirrored video image feature that includes an image of an operator as a portion thereof and an object image of an object that is associated with a predetermined event, to generate a combined image, and being adapted to provide production of the combined image on a display device. This image processor has a detection section for detecting the position of an image of an operator included in the mirrored video image feature. The image combining section is adapted to combine the object image and the mirrored video image feature in such a manner that the object image is displayed in a range that an image of a hand of the operator can reach, depending on the position of the image of the operator detected by the detection section.

Abstract: Moving image data is delivered from an image provider server. A hierarchical data generation device decodes the moving image data and generates data for the moving image representing each frame in a plurality of resolutions, by reducing frames included in the moving image in a single or multiple stages. A decoder reads only data for a layer in the hierarchical data for each frame, the layer being determined by a resolution requested for display, and decodes the read data. This produces a series of frames representing frames in a requested resolution. A display device displays the frames so that the moving image is displayed in the requested resolution.

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus, an image pickup unit takes images of an object including the face of a person wearing the glasses by which to observe a stereoscopic image that contains a first parallax image and a second parallax image obtained when the object in a three-dimensional (3D) space is viewed from different viewpoints. A glasses identifying unit identifies the glasses included in the image of the object taken by the image pickup unit. A face detector detects a facial region the face of the person included in the image of the object taken by the image pickup unit, based on the glasses identified by the glasses identifying unit. An augmented-reality special rendering unit adds a virtual feature to the facial region of the face of the person detected by the face detector.

Abstract: A parallax representation unit in a displayed image processing unit uses a height map containing information on a height of an object for each pixel to represent different views caused by the height of the object. A color representation unit uses, for example, texture coordinate values derived by the parallax representation unit to render the image, shifting the pixel defined in the color map. The color representation unit uses the normal map that maintains normals to the surface of the object for each pixel to change the way that light impinges on the surface and represent the roughness accordingly. A shadow representation unit uses a horizon map, which maintains information for each pixel to indicate whether a shadow is cast depending on the angle relative to the light source, so as to shadow the image rendered by the color representation unit.