Abstract: According to an embodiment, a reproducing device including: a unit storing pictures; a controller for controlling reproduction of the pictures; a unit displaying the pictures under controlling; a unit allowing an audience to indicate a reproducing mode such as an unmagnified speed reproduction, a fast-forwarding or the like; a calculator calculating a feature quantity from the stored pictures; a unit determining a time-wise shortened reproducing mode for a scene on basis of the calculated feature quantity; and a unit presenting the reproducing mode for a scene of the pictures under reproduction to the audience on basis of the determining. When seemingly unimportant scene is or is to be reproduced, a reproducing mode such as fast-forwarding and skipping some or whole of the scene is recommended to the audience; whereby the audience can interactively accelerate or abbreviate reproduction of the pictures and/or sounds while checking the pictures and/or sounds.

Abstract: There is provided a structure of metadata in which an operation at a time of object designation can be changed according to the kind of an input interface used for input or a method of an input operation. The metadata relevant to a moving image has a stream data structure including one or more access units each being a data unit which can be independently processed, and each of the access units includes first data to specify an effective period defined with respect to a time axis of the moving image, object area data describing a spatio-temporal region in the moving image, plural second data each specifying processing to be performed when the spatio-temporal region is designated, and third data to cause the respective second data to correspond to kinds of input interfaces or operation methods by which a user designates the object.

Abstract: In order to assist a viewer in understanding the contents of a moving image, it is desired to plainly represent the contents of metadata to the viewer. The metadata relevant to the moving image has a stream data structure including one or more access units each being a data unit which can be independently processed. Each of the access units includes first data to specify an effective period defined with respect to a time axis of the moving image, object area data describing a spatio-temporal region in the moving image, and balloon data to display relevant data of the object by a balloon. The balloon data includes text data to be displayed in the inside of the balloon and to express the contents of the object and position specifying data to specify a display position of the balloon.

Abstract: For a reproduction device in which a usable memory size has an upper limit, this invention discloses a novel structure of metadata, which can suppress the number of seeks of a CD or a DVD occurring at a time of reproduction of metadata of a moving image including a large number of scripts and hyper texts (HTML) each having a small data size, and the number of times of file request transmission/reception through a large number of networks. In the metadata of the moving image, in the case where access units AU#2 and AU#3 require EF#1, and access units AU#2 to AU#4 require EF#2, the EF#1 and the EF#2 are embedded in front of the AU#2, and a script in the AU uses a file name, a file identifier, or a virtual buffer offset in order to specify the EF to which reference is made. Embedding of a file and identification of the file are realized by causing the EF and the AU to have file identification information respectively and by specifying the file identification information from the script.

Abstract: There is provided an invention in which in a moving image hypermedia including moving image data and its metadata, when a viewer specifies an object, it is easy to confirm that the specification has been successfully made, and the specified object can be easily confirmed. Metadata relevant to a moving image has a stream data structure including one or more access units each being a data unit which can be independently processed, and each of the access units includes first data to specify an effective period defined with respect to a time axis of the moving image, object area data describing a spatio-temporal region in the moving image, second data to specify a processing to be performed when the spatio-temporal region is specified, third data including a display method for causing the spatio-temporal region to be recognized, and fourth data to specify, in a case where an event relevant to the spatio-temporal region is generated by a cursor operated by a user, calling the third data.

Abstract: Although it is necessary to display a mouse cursor in order to specify an object area in a moving image, there is a fear that a standard cursor spoils the atmosphere of the moving image or the intention of a producer. Then, a data structure is desired in which the shape of the cursor can be freely specified according to the contents of the moving image or the object. In metadata of the moving image, the object area appearing in the moving image is divided into plural data (access units), and the access unit is made to be capable of specifying the cursor shape, and the cursor shape in the object area is made freely changeable.

Abstract: In preparation for a case where a user indicates an area where an object does not exist, it is desired that an action for that case is also described in metadata. Then, layer value data indicating order of overlap of object area data on a screen or discrimination data intrinsic to an object area is described in each of access units. The access unit in which the layer value data or the discrimination data is a specific value, corresponds to “area where an object does not exist” at that time.

Abstract: Since there is a case where reproduction of metadata is limited according to the processing power of a reproduction apparatus or the designation from a user, the invention provides a data structure in which metadata whose preferential reproduction is desired can be selected and reproduced.

Abstract: There is provided a structure of metadata which can express an object of a complicated shape. There are added vcr_shape_num indicating the number of sub-planar areas constituting an object area, vcr_rule_code indicating that an integration system to integrate the sub-planar areas and to determine a final object area is written, vcr_rule_length to indicate the length of data of the integration system, and data vcr_rule to indicate the integration system, and thereafter, vcr_subregion_data of data of each sub-planar area appearing in vcr_rule is described continuously by the number indicated by vcr_shape_num.

Abstract: In the case where metadata refers to relevant content on a network, since the relevant content on the network can not be necessarily permanently held, it is desirable that a time limit for making reference can be set. Besides, in order to provide relevant content which can be referred to only in a limited period for promoting sales, or in order to provide relevant content which can be referred to only in a limited period such as, for example, Christmas Day every year for raising the entertainingness of the metadata, it is desirable that a reference time limit of the relevant content can be set. Then, in order to set an effective time limit of an access unit, a flag to specify the effective time limit and the effective time limit are described in each access unit.

Abstract: A structure of metadata relevant to a moving image, in which metadata editing is easily performed, comprising a stream data structure including one or more access units each capable of being independently processed; each of said access units has: first data for a reference time point within an access unit time for describing the metadata so as to cause the access unit time to correspond to a moving image time; an object area data describing a spatio-temporal region in the moving image; and second data for specifying a display method relevant to the spatio-temporal region and/or a processing when the spatio-temporal region is designated. The moving image time is to be made to correspond to the access unit time on basis of the reference time point in the first data, so that a period during which at least said second data may be called is specified.

Abstract: The information reproduction device for reproducing contents information based on license information added to the contents information and required for reproducing the contents information, includes a determining section for determining whether encrypted contents information is the officially copied contents information or privately copied contents information based on the contents of the license information, and a reproduction section configured to reproduce the contents information determined as the privately copied contents information by the determining section under more severe restriction that the officially copied contents information. Thus, the contents copied by the proper route (officially copied contents) can be distributed in a more advantageous form than the contents copied without proper authorization.

Abstract: In a preferred embodiment, an image-combining apparatus 212 includes a photographing unit 201, a composition unit 202, an input unit 204, a creation unit 206, an adjustment end instruction unit 208, and a display 211. An image of an object is photographed at S1010; a previously determined information-provision graphic is created at S1020; the information-provision graphic is combined with the photographed image at S1030, and is displayed on a display 211. On a preliminary composite image, the foot position of the object may be higher than the foot position of the information-provision graphic, or the information-provision graphic and the image of the object may not fit each other in size, or the object may be inclined. Then, position or the like of the object on the image may be adjusted.

Abstract: In a multimedia information collection control apparatus, a multimedia information collection unit collects information from more than one kind of medium (multimedia). A multimedia correspondence memory correspondingly stores multimedia information collected by the multimedia information collection unit. An information recognition unit recognizes the multimedia information stored in the multimedia correspondence memory and analyzes the multimedia information as personal data according to the recognition result. A multimedia database relationally stores the multimedia information as the personal data analyzed by the information recognition unit.

Abstract: The information reproduction device for reproducing contents information based on license information added to the contents information and required for reproducing the contents information, includes a determining section for determining whether encrypted contents information is the officially copied contents information or privately copied contents information based on the contents of the license information, and a reproduction section configured to reproduce the contents information determined as the privately copied contents information by the determining section under more severe restriction than the officially copied contents information. Thus, the contents copied by the proper route (officially copied contents) can be distributed in a more advantageous form than the contents copied without proper authorization.

Abstract: A moving-picture processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire metadata including information about each temporal region in an input moving picture with a plurality of temporal regions, a decision unit configured to determine a cutout region corresponding to at least any one of the plurality of temporal regions on the basis of the metadata, and a cutting-out unit configured to cut out the cutout region from an image in each frame of the input moving picture.

Abstract: A signal receiving unit receives a signal including video data. A video data memory sequentially stores the video data. A timing decision unit decides a timing to generate a video summary by referring to the signal, and provides a generation request of the video summary at the timing. A summary method indication unit indicates a generation method of the video summary. A video summary generation unit generates the video summary from the video data by using the generation method in respo0nse to the generation request. A video summary play unit plays the video summary.

Abstract: The information reproduction device for reproducing the contents information based on the license information added to the contents information and required for reproducing the contents information, includes a determining section for determining whether the encrypted contents information is the officially copied contents information or privately copied contents information based on the contents of the license information, and a reproduction section configured to reproduce the contents information determined as the privately copied contents information by the determining section under more severer restrictions than the officially copied contents information. Thus, the contents copied by the proper route (officially copied contents) can be distributed in a more advantageous form than the contents copied without proper authorization.

Abstract: The information reproduction device for reproducing the contents information based on the license information added to the contents information and required for reproducing the contents information, includes a determining section for determining whether the encrypted contents information is the officially copied contents information or privately copied contents information based on the contents of the license information, and a reproduction section configured to reproduce the contents information determined as the privately copied contents information by the determining section under more severer restrictions than the officially copied contents information. Thus, the contents copied by the proper route (officially copied contents) can be distributed in a more advantageous form than the contents copied without proper authorization.

Abstract: In a multimedia information collection control apparatus, a multimedia information collection unit collects information from more than one kind of medium (multimedia). A multimedia correspondence memory correspondingly stores multimedia information collected by the multimedia information collection unit. An information recognition unit recognizes the multimedia information stored in the multimedia correspondence memory and analyzes the multimedia information as personal data according to the recognition result. A multimedia database relationally stores the multimedia information as the personal data analyzed by the information recognition unit.