Abstract: In a content shooting apparatus (Acc) for recording content data (Sav) containing video, audio, or data onto an information recording medium (214), in combination with first metadata (Di, Dm) containing a parameter representing scene information (SI), and allowing access to a specific portion of the content (Sav) with reference to the scene information (SI), a camera microcomputer (206) detects movement of a camera (101) to generate the first metadata (Di, Dm) by comparing the detected movement with a predetermined value (Th), and also generates second meta data (Di, Dm) by filtering out the first metadata (Di, Dm) generated within a predetermined specific window period (W) via a predetermined function.

Abstract: A conventional three-dimensional noise reducing device is defective in that after-image degradation increases when effective noise reduction is performed on a signal whose noise level has been increased by signal amplification.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus provides minimal S/N degradation with a high resolution at low illumination. The imaging apparatus includes a CCD, a gain adjusting section, an LPF for performing smoothing on an output signal of the gain adjusting section, and a control section and a selecting section selecting for outputting either the output signal or the LPF according to a magnitude of gain of the gain adjusting section. Also included are a three-dimensional NR for performing recursive noise reduction, a detail extracting section, and an adder that enhance a two-dimensional high-frequency component of an output signal of the three-dimensional NR. The control and selecting sections perform the selection to provide the output signal of the gain adjusting section to the three-dimensional NR when the gain of the gain adjusting section is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. Otherwise, the output of the LPF is provided to the three-dimensional NR.

Abstract: A noise reduction apparatus with simultaneous processing for allowing Simultaneous processing of image signals of a portion containing a noise processing object pixel to be inputted, wherein the image signals are existing at Spatially different locations or the image signals are contained in fields or frames at different times. A filtering is performed by low pass filter. A noise component extractor extracts noise components based upon outputs of the filter operation and noise attenuation means of attenuating noise using outputs of the noise components extraction means with respect to the noise processing object pixel within the outputs of the simultaneous processing means.

Abstract: An image sensing device free from change in the angle of view between taking moving picture and taking still picture, small in power consumption in moving picture taking, and small in sensitivity drop if the size of the optical system is the same. The image sensing means has exclusive image sensing elements for red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and the three image sensing elements are disposed by shifting the pixels obliquely. Luminance signal generating means generates a first luminance signal of which number of pixels in the horizontal direction is 2 times that of the image sensing device for G, and generates a second luminance signal of which number of pixels in the horizontal direction is 2 times that of the image sensing device for G. Sampling frequency converting means decreases the sampling frequency at a specific ratio, and generates as a third luminance signal. Second memory means stores the first luminance signal and second luminance signal, and issues them alternately in every line.

Abstract: A conventional three-dimensional noise reducing device is defective in that after-image degradation increases when effective noise reduction is performed on a signal whose noise level has been increased by signal amplification.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus provides minimal S/N degradation with a high resolution even when an image is taken at a low illumination. The imaging apparatus includes a CCD, a gain adjusting section a LPF of performing smoothing on the output signal of the gain adjusting section, a control section and a selecting section selecting for output either the output signal of the gain adjusting section or the LPF according to magnitude of gain of the gain adjusting sections. Also included are a three-dimensional NR performing recursive noise reduction, a first matrix, a second matrix, a detail extracting section, and an adder that enhance the two-dimensional high-frequency component of the output signal of the three-dimensional NR.

Abstract: A video apparatus with image memory function has a memory of three ports (one for write, two for read), memory read control units corresponding to two independent read ports and adapted to read a desired area (first area) from a first read port and an area (second area) which contains the first area and is wider than the first area from a second read port, and a memory write control unit. With this construction, an input video signal is written to the memory, starting with a write head address designated by the memory write control unit, the first and second fields to be read during the next field are determined during the period of vertical blanking, a next write head address is determined to be after the first area, and a signal of the first area is delivered as an output video signal.

Abstract: A noise reduction apparatus, has

Abstract: An image sensing device free from change in the angle of view between taking moving picture and taking still picture, small in power consumption in moving picture taking, and small in sensitivity drop if the size of the optical system is the same. The image sensing means has exclusive image sensing elements for red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and the three image sensing elements are disposed by shifting the pixels obliquely. Luminance signal generating means generates a first luminance signal of which number of pixels in the horizontal direction is 2 times that of the image sensing device for G, and generates a second luminance signal of which number of pixels in the horizontal direction is 2 times that of the image sensing device for G. Sampling frequency converting means decreases the sampling frequency at a specific ratio, and generates as a third luminance signal. Second memory means stores the first luminance signal and second luminance signal, and issues them alternately in every line.

Abstract: A gradation compensation circuit for gradation compensating the luminance level of the image signal is disclosed. An image evaluator evaluates the amount of backlighting and normal lighting in the overall image, and defines the degree of gradation compensation to be applied by the gradation compensation circuit according to the result of image evaluation. An AGC circuit maintains the overall luminance of the image constant. When the AGC control signal applied to the AGC circuit is high, the degree of compensation is suppressed, but when the AGC control signal is low, the degree of compensation is used without being suppressed.

Abstract: A video apparatus with image memory function has a memory of three ports (one for write, two for read), memory read control units corresponding to two independent read ports and adapted to read a desired area (first area) from a first read port and an area (second area) which contains the first area and is wider than the first area from a second read port, and a memory write control unit. With this construction, an input video signal is written to the memory, starting with a write head address designated by the memory write control unit, the first and second fields to be read during the next field are determined during the period of vertical blanking, a next write head address is determined to be after the first area, and a signal of the first area is delivered as an output video signal.

Abstract: A field recursive type noise reduction apparatus is disclosed in which the field difference is divided into a plurality of frequency components by means of the Hadamard transformation and the existence of a boundary of an oblique line in the proximity of pixels to be processed is detected from frequency components remaining by removing minimum and maximum horizontal frequency components by an oblique line detection circuit. In the location where the existence of the boundary of oblique line is detected, a feedback rate of the apparatus is reduced to avoid deterioration of the image quality by nonlinear processing means and in other locations the feedback rate is increased to improve the S/N, so that a noise reduction apparatus is realized having excellent improvement of the S/N as compared with a conventional field recursive type noise reduction apparatus.

Abstract: A field difference signal of a luminance signal is transformed to a plurality of frequency components by the Hadamard transformation, subsequently, nonlinear operation and inverse-transformation are applied to the frequency components and the inverse-transformed field difference signal is subtracted from the luminance signal, and thereby noise in the luminance signal is reduced, on the other hand in respect to a color difference signal, motion of a video image is detected on the basis of the level of at least one of the frequency components; and when the motion of the video image is large and the level of the frequency component is larger than a predetermined value, the level of the field difference signal to be subtracted from the color difference signal is decreased; on the contrary, when the level of the frequency component is the predetermined value and below, the level of the field difference signal to be subtracted from the color difference signal is increased.

Abstract: A noise reduction apparatus for reducing the noise in an input video signal. The input video signal contains pixel data; and, the noise reduction apparatus has a first delay, a subtractor, a second delay, a transformer, a nonlinear calculator, an inverse-transformer, and an adder. The first delay delays an input video signal to derive a first delayed video signal. The subtractor subtracts the first delayed video signal from the input video signal, and outputs a finite difference signal. The second delay delays the finite difference signal by one horizontal scanning period. The transformer forms a signal block from the field difference signal which includes a first predetermined number of pixel data; and, in the signal block, transforms the pixel data into a second predetermined number of characteristic components based on the finite difference signal and the finite difference signal delayed by the second delay.