Abstract: A feature image detecting method of detecting a feature image and presenting a detection result, including: storing a correction case example with respect to the feature image in a database; detecting whether or not the feature image is contained in an inputted video to be examined; if the feature image is contained, retrieving the database by using a reason of the feature of the detected feature image as a key, and obtaining a correction case example; applying the correction case example to a feature portion of the image and creating a correction proposal, and outputting the reason of the feature, the feature portion, and the correction proposal of the detected feature image for the purpose of correction of the feature image.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to detect an image correction method from corrected images, in order to grasp a correction method of a correctly corrected images as a guideline for correction of a harmful image, and to present an image correction proposal to which a correction method in the past is applied, in order to indicate to a corrector a guideline for correction of the harmful image. In order to achieve the above-described objective, the present invention employs the following configuration. With respect to a harmful image data before correction and an image data after correction, a scene feature quantity representing the feature quantity of a scene for each scene of a video is calculated, and by comparing chronological lists of the respective scene feature quantities of the videos, a correction method for the scene configuration is detected.

Abstract: A video server for distributing a digitized video content includes a unit for determining whether or not a video content requested from a terminal is stored in the video server, a unit for issuing a transmission request to another server for transmitting the video thereto in accordance with the HTTP protocol when the video content requested from the terminal is not stored in the video server, and a unit for receiving the video content transmitted from the other video server in accordance with the HTTP protocol, and transmitting the video content to the terminal in accordance with IP multicast or HTTP protocol.

Abstract: A video server for distributing a digitized video content includes a unit for determining whether or not a video content requested from a terminal is stored in the video server, a unit for issuing a transmission request to another server for transmitting the video thereto in accordance with the HTTP protocol when the video content requested from the terminal is not stored in the video server, and a unit for receiving the video content transmitted from the other video server in accordance with the HTTP protocol, and transmitting the video content to the terminal in accordance with IP multicast or HTTP protocol.

Abstract: A content metadata registering method for registering metadata utilized during a retrieving operation at a specific position on a time axis of content is comprised of: a step for storing a content play log which contains a distribution starting time instant when the content is played, a time code when a distribution is commenced, a playing direction, and a playing speed into a storage apparatus; a step for storing information which contains an input starting time instant of the metadata and the inputted metadata into a storage apparatus; and a step for calculating a time code at the input starting time instant of the metadata stored in the storage apparatus based upon the information of the content play log stored in the storage apparatus, and for storing the metadata in combination with the calculated time code into the storage apparatus.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to detect an image correction method from corrected images, in order to grasp a correction method of a correctly corrected images as a guideline for correction of a harmful image, and to present an image correction proposal to which a correction method in the past is applied, in order to indicate to a corrector a guideline for correction of the harmful image. In order to achieve the above-described objective, the present invention employs the following configuration. With respect to a harmful image data before correction and an image data after correction, a scene feature quantity representing the feature quantity of a scene for each scene of a video is calculated, and by comparing chronological lists of the respective scene feature quantities of the videos, a correction method for the scene configuration is detected.

Abstract: A video server for distributing a digitized video content includes a unit for determining whether or not a video content requested from a terminal is stored in the video server, a unit for issuing a transmission request to another server for transmitting the video thereto in accordance with the HTTP protocol when the video content requested from the terminal is not stored in the video server, and a unit for receiving the video content transmitted from the other video server in accordance with the HTTP protocol, and transmitting the video content to the terminal in accordance with IP multicast or HTTP protocol.

Abstract: A WEB server includes a control unit for HTTP server, a table of addresses of VOD servers, and a table of identifiers of video data. The control unit accesses these tables, in response to a request from a user of a terminal device for a display of video data, to retrieve therefrom an address of a video server and an identifier of a title of video data related to information on a WEB page accessed by the user, then transfers the address and the identifier to the terminal device. This enables the user of a video-on-demand system to easily obtain video data associated with information on the WEB server.

Abstract: A video server for distributing a digitized video content includes a unit for determining whether or not a video content requested from a terminal is stored in the video server, a unit for issuing a transmission request to another server for transmitting the video thereto in accordance with the HTTP protocol when the video content requested from the terminal is not stored in the video server, and a unit for receiving the video content transmitted from the other video server in accordance with the HTTP protocol, and transmitting the video content to the terminal in accordance with IP multicast or HTTP protocol.

Abstract: In a network cache and a cache control method involving the transfer of a large volume of data as the time of reproduction of multimedia data including video data, a stabilized data transfer is made by eliminating the waste of cached data or a useless cache processing which may be caused by the interruption of a user's operation. When a data transfer request from a user terminal connected to a local network is made to a server existing on the internet, a user request processing program starts a cache program. The cache program performs a cache processing independently of the data delivery to the requesting user terminal by the user request processing program so that even if the user's request is interrupted, the storage of transferred data into a cache file is performed without ceasing. Also, a required bit rate for data made an object of transfer is analyzed for comparison with a network throughput between the server and the network cache.

Abstract: When receiving a request for reverse reproduction of a first video image from a terminal, a server transmits first compressed video data corresponding to the request. The terminal, which is connected to the server, decodes the first compressed video data transmitted from the server. The reverse reproduction of the decoded first video data is performed. Concurrently with the decoding process, a request for reverse reproduction of a second video image that is a continuation of said first video image is transmitted to the server. When receiving the request for the reverse reproduction of the second video image, the server transmits second compressed video data corresponding to the request to the terminal. The terminal decodes the second compressed video data transmitted from the server and performs the reverse reproduction of the decoded second video data.

Abstract: A relay apparatus on a network includes an analysis section that analyzes multimedia contents transmitted from a contents provider. The relay apparatus temporarily stores contents identifiers, component information of the contents, and element data pointed by pointers of the component information, and creates a transmission sequence for transmitting the element data. A transmission section transmits the contents identifier, the contents component information and the element data according to the transmission sequence to a service provider. When the relay apparatus receives a request from a terminal or from a service provider even before the service provider completes registration of the entire multimedia contents, the relay apparatus or the service provider can start rendering multimedia transmission services to the terminal.

Abstract: A video server for distributing a digitized video content includes a unit for determining whether or not a video content requested from a terminal is stored in the video server, a unit for issuing a transmission request to another server for transmitting the video thereto in accordance with the HTTP protocol when the video content requested from the terminal is not stored in the video server, and a unit for receiving the video content transmitted from the other video server in accordance with the HTTP protocol, and transmitting the video content to the terminal in accordance with IP multicast or HTTP protocol.

Abstract: In a video storage and delivery apparatus and corresponding system, video data items are simultaneously supplied to a plurality of users while guaranteeing the time axis and the picture quality of the video data. The apparatus includes a frame address table which indicates a storage location in the apparatus of each frame of video data to start a special reproduction or a reproduction at a desired frame and a control unit controlling a switch bus connecting a plurality of video storage and delivery apparatuses to a plurality of channels so as to conduct data transfers via the switch bus between the apparatuses and between video reproduction devices of the users. From an optical disk data storage storing video data, a plurality of video data items are read in a timesharing fashion to be temporarily stored in a magnetic disk device or a semiconductor memory, thereby delivering the video data items therefrom to the users.