Recording device and control method and program therefor, and system

Abstract

To record, when recording moving image data received from an external imaging device as a moving image file, also a completed meta file related to the moving image.SOLUTION: A recording device comprises a communication unit and is configured to record moving image data received from an imaging device via the communication unit. The recording device includes: an image file recording unit that starts recording of the moving image data from the imaging device in response to reception of a recording start command via the communication unit, and ends the recording of the moving image data in response to reception of a recording end command via the communication unit, thereby recording a moving image file; and a meta file recording unit that starts creation of a meta file related to the moving image data on the basis of information received at the time of receiving the recording start command via the communication unit and relating to the creation of the meta file, and completes the meta file with meta data received at the time of receiving the recording end command.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8B

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, a control method, a program, and a system thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, IP broadcasting systems are becoming more prevalent at news sites such as broadcasting stations and news agencies, and IP streaming technology is being used to continuously transmit video data being shot by video processing devices such as digital still cameras and digital video cameras to the outside via a network. In addition, by utilizing additional information files in which various metadata about the video data being shot is written, news reporting with high speed and speed is realized more quickly and easily. For example, metadata such as the video format and recording length can be recorded in the additional information file along with the shot video. In addition, communication can be performed between a mobile terminal and a digital video camera, and coverage information such as the coverage title and coverage location can be written in the additional information file at the reporting site. The additional information file is used, for example, as information to more easily search for desired video data in a video data server. In this case, the format and recording length of the video data can be known by viewing various metadata of the video data. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-363825 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The metadata (additional information) recorded in the additional information file associated with the video data includes not only additional information set by the user, but also additional information updated when the video data recording starts and when the recording ends. In Patent Document 1, when recording video data (video data), metadata related to the video data is also created at the same time and stored in a recording medium in the recording and playback device. However, when the recording and playback device receives video data from an external video processing device by IP streaming, there is a problem that the metadata is insufficient if the additional information file generated in the recording and playback device is simply associated with the received video data and stored as in Patent Document 1. For example, the recording and playback device cannot know information indicating that the video processing device performing IP streaming has recorded the video data unless it is transmitted from the video processing device. Therefore, when creating the metadata, such data is insufficient.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a technology for recording a completed metafile related to a moving image when recording moving image data received from an external imaging device as a moving image file. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve this problem, for example, a recording device of the present invention has the following configuration. A recording device having a communication means, the recording device recording moving image data received from an imaging device via the communication means, an image file recording means for starting recording of moving image data from the imaging device in response to receiving a recording start command via the communication means, and for recording a moving image file by ending recording of the moving image data upon receiving a recording end command via the communication means; and a metafile recording means for starting creation of a metafile related to the moving image data based on information regarding the creation of a metafile received when the recording start command is received via the communication means, and completing the metafile with metadata received when the recording end command is received. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The present invention provides a technique for recording a completed metafile related to a moving image when recording moving image data received from an external imaging device as a moving image file. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a digital video camera. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an XML file format. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a network recorder. [Diagram 5] A flow chart of basic operations of a digital video camera. [Figure 6] A diagram showing the UI for selecting an XML file for settings. [Figure 7] 1 is a basic operation flow diagram of a network recorder. [Figure 8A] 4 is a flowchart showing a characteristic operation of the digital video camera according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8B] FIG. 4 is a characteristic operation flow diagram of the network recorder according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a system configuration diagram according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a controller. [Figure 11] 1 is a flow diagram of the controller's basic operations. [Figure 12A] FIG. 11 is a characteristic operation flow diagram of a controller according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12B]FIG. 11 is a characteristic operational flow diagram of the network recorder according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12C] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a characteristic operation of the digital video camera 100 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of recording start information metadata of an XML file for a digital video camera, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing an example of recording start information metadata of an XML file for a network recorder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0010] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of this embodiment. The system includes a digital video camera 100 that shoots moving images and creates and transmits metadata, and a network recorder 200 that stores the moving image data and metadata transmitted from the digital video camera 100. In this embodiment, the digital video camera 100 and the network recorder 200 are connected via a local area network (LAN). The digital video camera 100 and the network recorder 200 may be connected via a network switch or the like. The communication protocol is the Internet Protocol, but there is no particular restriction on the type. Furthermore, the connection form may be either wired or wireless.

[0011] 2 is a block diagram of the digital video camera 100. The digital video camera 100 has a control unit 101, an image compression / decompression unit 102, an imaging unit 103, an image processing unit 104, a network I / F 105, a display unit 106, an operation unit 107, a ROM 108, a RAM 109, and a recording medium I / F 110. These components are driven by power obtained by rectifying AC power supplied from an external source to a predetermined voltage, or by power supplied from a built-in battery (not shown).

[0012] The control unit 101 is composed of a processor such as a CPU, and controls the entire device. Specifically, the control unit 101 loads a program recorded in the ROM 108 into the RAM 109 and executes it to control each component and perform calculation processing, and executes processing according to a flowchart described later. The ROM 108 is a non-volatile memory, and stores the programs executed by the control unit 101 and various settings.

[0013] The RAM 109 is a volatile memory used as a work memory for the control unit 101. The RAM 109 is also used as a VRAM (Video Random Access Memory) for temporarily storing data to be compressed or expanded by the image compression / expansion unit 102, such as image data captured by the imaging unit 103 and processed by the image processing unit 104, or image data read from the recording medium 111, or data to be displayed on the display unit 106. The RAM 108 is also used for temporarily storing an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file to be recorded in association with the captured image, and metadata to be written in the XML file. The XML file is generated under the control of the control unit 101. The XML file is generated using metadata (additional information) included in a setting XML file received from an external device by the network I / F 105 or a setting XML file recorded on the recording medium 111, and metadata that can be obtained at the start of recording or the completion of recording. Details of the metadata configuration included in the XML file will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

[0014] The control unit 101 also functions as a display control unit, since it generates display data for the display unit 106 and controls the display timing. The control unit 101 also functions as a recording control unit, since it controls recording and reading of data to the recording medium 111 via the recording medium I / F 110. The control unit 101 may be configured with multiple processors, or the control unit 101 may be configured integrally with the functions of other components (e.g., image compression / decompression unit 102, image processing unit 104), or the control unit 101 may be provided with some of the functions of the other components.

[0015] A recording medium 111 for recording image data can be attached to the digital video camera 100. To this end, the digital video camera 100 has a recording medium I / F (interface) 110. The recording medium I / F 110 has a slot into which a removable recording medium 111 such as a memory card can be inserted. FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which the recording medium 111 is attached to the recording medium I / F 110. Although the digital video camera 100 has been described as being configured to record image data on the removable recording medium 111, it is also possible to consider a configuration in which image data is recorded on a non-removable recording medium built into the digital video camera 100.

[0016] The storage medium 111 is used to record XML files and moving image data obtained by capturing an image using the imaging unit 103 and performing various processes using the image processing unit 104 and the image compression / expansion unit 102. There is no particular limit to the type of recording medium, but the recording medium 111 can be, for example, a recording medium such as an SD card (SD Memory Card) (registered trademark) or a CF Express card (registered trademark).

[0017] The image processing unit 104 performs predetermined pixel interpolation, resizing, and color conversion processing on the image data captured by the imaging unit 103. The image processing unit 104 also performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data. The control unit 101 performs various controls (exposure control, auto white balance control, etc.) related to the imaging by the imaging unit 103 based on the obtained calculation results.

[0018] The image compression / decompression unit 102 performs a process of compressing and encoding the image data after the image processing by the image processing unit 104 , and performs a process of decompressing (decoding) the image data read from the recording medium 111 .

[0019] The imaging unit 103 has a photographing lens (including a zoom lens and a focus lens) and an image sensor. Based on the control of the control unit 101, the imaging unit 103 captures an image of a subject, generates and outputs still images and video data.

[0020] The network I / F 105 transmits and receives data to and from external devices such as an external camera, a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet, etc., under the control of the control unit 101. The network I / F 105 can transmit setting information and operation information of the digital video camera 100 to an external device, and can receive commands for operating the digital video camera 100 and XML files to be recorded together with image data from the external device. The received data is stored in the RAM 109. The transmittable data includes digital image data and analog video signals. The network I / F 105 also transmits and receives data to and from the network recorder 200 under the control of the control unit 101. The network I / F 105 can transmit XML files created by the digital video camera 100 and moving image data to the network recorder 200. In this embodiment, when the network recorder 200 is connected, the control unit 101 continuously transmits moving image data obtained by capturing an image using the imaging unit 103 and performing various processes using the image processing unit 104 and the image compression / expansion unit 102 to the network recorder 200 through the network I / F 105.

[0021] The display unit 106 is a display for displaying various setting states, images captured by the imaging unit 103, images read out and played back from a recording medium, and the like, based on the control of the control unit 101. The display unit 106 is configured as a display within a peer-type finder, a vari-angle liquid crystal monitor, or the like.

[0022] The operation unit 107 is an operation unit that accepts operations from a user and includes a power switch for supplying power to the digital video camera 100, a shooting start button, a mode switching button for switching between a camera mode (shooting mode) and a playback mode, etc. If the operation unit 107 includes a touch panel, the touch panel may be any of various types of touch panels, such as a resistive film type, a capacitive type, a surface acoustic wave type, an infrared type, an electromagnetic induction type, an image recognition type, and an optical sensor type.

[0023] FIG. 3 shows an example of the metadata (additional information) structure included in an XML file recorded in association with video data in this embodiment. The XML file 400 is composed of metadata 401 recorded from information read at the start of recording, metadata 402 set by the user, and metadata 403 recorded from information read at the end of recording. Each piece of information in the metadata 401 is additional information that is determined at the start of recording of video data and is not changed after recording has started. For example, the information includes creation date and time, file name, video data identification information, file format, audio information, etc. Each piece of information in the metadata 402 is additional information that is set by the user, such as video data title, shooting information, photographer, keywords, category, genre, language information, rights information, etc. Each piece of information in the metadata 403 is additional information that is determined at the end of recording of video data and is information that cannot be read at the start of recording of video data, such as update date and time, and recording length of video data (recording time or number of frames).

[0024] 4 is a block diagram of the network recorder 200. The network recorder 200 has a control unit 201, a network I / F 202, a data storage unit 203, a ROM 204, a RAM 205, and a video output I / F 206. These components are driven by power obtained by rectifying AC power supplied from an external source to a predetermined voltage, or by power supplied from a built-in battery (not shown).

[0025] The control unit 201 is composed of a processor such as a CPU, and controls the entire device. The control unit 201 loads a program recorded in a ROM 204 into a RAM 205, and executes the loaded program to control each component and perform calculation processing, and executes processing shown in a flowchart described later.

[0026] The data storage unit 203 is a storage unit for storing video data transmitted from the digital video camera 100 and XM data generated within the network recorder 200 as files, and is composed of a large-capacity recording device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

[0027] The ROM 204 is a non-volatile recording medium, and stores the programs executed by the control unit 201 and various setting information.

[0028] The RAM 205 is a volatile recording medium used as a work memory for the control unit 201. The RAM 205 is also used as a VRAM. The control unit 201 also controls video output to a video output device such as a display via the video output I / F 206, and therefore also functions as a video control unit. The control unit 201 may be configured with a plurality of processors, or the control unit 201 may be configured integrally by providing the functions of other components (for example, the data storage unit 203), or some of the functions of the other components may be provided in the control unit 201.

[0029] FIG. 5 is an operation flow diagram showing the basic operation of the digital video camera 100. The control unit 101 reads out a program stored in the ROM 108, expands it in the RAM 109, and executes the expanded program to control each unit and perform calculation processing. When it detects that the digital video camera 100 has been set to a camera mode (shooting mode) by a user's operation on the operation unit 107, the control unit 101 starts the processing of FIG. 5. Note that in this embodiment, if the digital video camera 100 is connected to the network recorder 200 at the time the flow of FIG. 5 is started, the digital video camera 100 continues to continuously transmit video image data to the connected network recorder 200. Also, the processing shown in FIG. 5 is merely an example, and the order is not limited.

[0030] In S500, the control unit 101 detects a user operation on a menu button included in the operation unit 107, and displays a menu 600 as shown in Fig. 6 on the display unit 106. The user can select an XML file for settings from the items in the menu 600 by operating a selection cursor 601 using a cross button included in the operation unit 107. When the XML file for settings is selected by the user, the process proceeds to S501.

[0031] The illustration shows that "Recording / Media Setup" is selected from the main menu, "Add XML file" is selected from the submenu that is displayed in response to that selection, and then "XML file 2" is selected as the XML file from that submenu.

[0032] In S501, the control unit 101 reads the contents of the setting XML file set in S500 from the recording medium 111 to the RAM 109 via the recording medium I / F 110. Then, the control unit 101 writes out to the RAM 109 only information necessary for the XML file to be recorded in association with the video data as recording metadata in accordance with the structure of the XML file. In S502, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a moving image recording start instruction has been input from the user via the operation unit 107. If the control unit 101 determines that a moving image recording start instruction has been input from the user, the process proceeds to S503. If the control unit 101 determines that a moving image recording start instruction has not been input from the user, the process returns to S502 and waits for the input. That is, the control unit 101 repeats the process of S502 until input of a moving image recording start instruction is detected.

[0033] In S503, in response to the recording start instruction input in S502, the control unit 101 captures images using the imaging unit 103, and writes the video image data obtained by various processing in the image processing unit 104 and the image compression / expansion unit 102 to the recording medium 111.

[0034] In S504, control unit 101 reads out the video data from RAM 109 and transmits it to network recorder 200 via network I / F 105, and also transmits a recording start command. Upon receiving the recording start command, network recorder 200 starts recording the received video data in data storage unit 203 as a video file.

[0035] In S505, the control unit 101 writes information acquired at the start of recording of the moving image data to the RAM 109 as recording start information metadata in response to generation of the moving image data. Note that, when a moving image is recorded in the network recorder 200, the recording start information metadata also includes information indicating that the moving image is being transmitted to the network recorder 200. Then, the control unit 101 writes an XML file to the RAM 109 using the recording start information metadata written to the RAM 109 in S505 and the recording metadata written to the RAM 109 in S501. That is, of the XML file in FIG. 3, the recording start information metadata is set to the metadata 401 as shown in FIG. 13(a), and the recording metadata is set to the metadata 402, and the XML file is written to the RAM 109. At this time, the XML file may be generated by leaving each piece of information in the metadata 403 blank or set to 0, or an XML file not including the metadata 403 may be generated.

[0036] In S506, the control unit 101 reads out the XML file generated in S505 from the RAM 109, associates it with the video data whose storage in the recording medium 111 began in S503, and writes it to the recording medium 111 via the recording medium I / F 110.

[0037] In S507, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a recording end instruction for moving image data has been input from the user via the operation unit 107. If the control unit 101 determines that a recording end instruction has been input, the process proceeds to S508. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines that a recording end instruction has not been input, the process returns to S507, and moving image recording continues until a recording end instruction is input.

[0038] In S508, the control unit 101 overwrites the recording start command written to the RAM 109 in S504 with the recording end command. When the network recorder 200 connected to the digital video camera 100 receives this recording end command, the recording of the video data is ended.

[0039] In S509, the control unit 101 writes the unsaved moving image data that was shot up until the input of the recording end instruction as moving image data to the recording medium 111. Then, the control unit 101 writes or updates the header of the moving image data, and completes the moving image data recording process.

[0040] In S510, the control unit 101 writes information that can be acquired at the end of recording of the video data to the RAM 109 as recording end information metadata. Then, the control unit 101 reads the XML file recorded on the recording medium 111 in S506, adds the recording end information metadata to the XML file as metadata 403, and records the XML file on the recording medium 111. Since the XML file written on the recording medium 111 in S506 does not record each piece of information of the metadata 403 determined at the end of recording, the XML file does not contain any information that should be recorded. Therefore, the control unit 101 overwrites the XML file recorded on the recording medium 111 in S506 with an XML file in which each piece of information of the metadata 403 is described in S510, and the recording of the XML file is completed. Note that the process of S510 may be executed at the timing when the recording stop information metadata can be generated, that is, at the timing when the recording of the video data is completed, without waiting for the completion of the recording of the video data, when the information on the recording time of the video data can be acquired. Therefore, the recording of the XML file may be completed before the recording of the video data is completed.

[0041] By executing the above steps, the digital video camera 100 can store, on the recording medium 111, the video data and the XML file associated with the video data.

[0042] Fig. 7 is an operational flow diagram showing the basic operation of the network recorder 200. The control unit 201 reads out a program stored in the ROM 204, loads it in the RAM 205, and executes the loaded program to control each unit and perform calculation processing. Note that the processing shown in Fig. 7 is merely an example, and the order is not limited.

[0043] In S700, the control unit 201 determines whether or not moving image data has been received from the digital video camera 100 via the network I / F 202. If the control unit 201 determines that moving image data has been received, the process proceeds to S701. If the control unit 201 determines that moving image data has not been received, the process returns to S700. In other words, the control unit 201 repeats the process of S700 until moving image data is received.

[0044] In S701, the control unit 201 determines whether or not a recording start command has been received from the digital video camera 100 via the network I / F 202. If the control unit 201 determines that a recording start command has been received, the process proceeds to S702. If the control unit 201 determines that a recording start command has not been received, the process returns to S701. In other words, the control unit 201 repeats the process of S701 until a recording start command is received.

[0045] In S702, the control unit 201 reads the video data received from the digital video camera 100 via the network I / F 202 from the RAM 109, and writes it to the data storage unit 203. Note that if video data is continuously received from the digital video camera 100, the control unit 201 continues to read the received video data from the RAM 109 and writes it to the data storage unit 203 one by one.

[0046] In S703, the control unit 201 reads from the RAM 109 the data received from the digital video camera 100 via the network I / F 202, and determines whether or not the data is a recording end command. If the control unit 201 determines that the recording end command has been received, it ends writing of the video data to the data storage unit 203, and ends the recording process as a video file. If the control unit 201 determines that the recording end command has not been received, it returns the process to S702. That is, the control unit 201 repeats the processes of S702 and S703 until it receives the recording end command.

[0047] By executing the above steps, the network recorder 200 can store the video data received from the digital video camera 100 in the data storage unit 203 .

[0048] Fig. 8A is an operation flow diagram showing a characteristic operation of the digital video camera 100 in this embodiment. This process is realized by the control unit 101 reading out a program stored in the ROM 108, expanding it in the RAM 109, and executing the expanded program to control each unit and perform arithmetic processing. When the digital video camera 100 is set to the camera mode (shooting mode) by a user's operation on the operation unit 107, the control unit 101 starts the process of Fig. 8A. Note that the process shown in Fig. 8A is merely an example, and the order of the processes is not limited.

[0049] In FIG. 8A, S800a to S805a are the same as S500 to S505 in FIG. 5, respectively, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0050] In S806a, the control unit 101 writes information that can be obtained at the start of recording of moving image data to the RAM 109 as recording start information metadata. If a moving image is recorded inside the camera, the recording start information metadata also includes information indicating that a moving image was recorded by the camera. The control unit 101 then transmits the recording start information metadata written to the RAM 109 in S806a and the recording metadata written to the RAM 109 in S801a to the network recorder 200 via the network I / F 105. If a user operation interrupts during transmission of the recording start information metadata or the recording metadata, the user operation may be given priority, and divided transmission may be performed, such as transmitting the continuation after processing the user operation.

[0051] 5, using the XML file for the digital video camera 100 created in S805a. Note that in S809a, the control unit 201 also transmits a recording end command to the network recorder 200.

[0052] In S812a, the control unit 101 writes information that can be obtained when the recording of the moving image data ends to the RAM 109 as recording end information metadata. Then, the control unit 101 transmits the recording end information metadata written in S812a to the network recorder 200 via the network I / F 105. Note that the process of S812a is executed at the timing when the recording stop information metadata can be generated, without waiting for the completion of the recording of the moving image data, that is, at the timing when the recording of the moving image data is completed and information on the recording time of the moving image data can be obtained. Therefore, the recording end information metadata may be transmitted to the network recorder 200 before the recording of the moving image data is completed.

[0053] Fig. 8B is an operational flow diagram showing a characteristic operation of the network recorder 200 in this embodiment. The control unit 201 reads out a program stored in the ROM 204, loads it in the RAM 205, and executes the loaded program, thereby controlling each unit and executing arithmetic processing. Note that the processing shown in Fig. 9 is merely an example, and the order is not limited.

[0054] Since S800b to S802b in FIG. 8B are the same as S700 to S702 in FIG. 7, respectively, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0055] In S803b, the control unit 201 reads from the RAM 109 the data received from the digital video camera 100 via the network I / F 202. Then, the control unit 201 determines whether the read data is the recording metadata and recording start information metadata transmitted in S806a. If the control unit 201 determines that the recording metadata and recording start information metadata have been received, the process proceeds to S804b. If the control unit 201 determines that the recording metadata and recording start information metadata have not been received, the process returns to S803b. In other words, the control unit 201 repeats the process of S803b until the control unit 201 receives the recording metadata and recording start information metadata.

[0056] In S804b, the control unit 201 generates an XML file using the recording metadata and recording start information metadata received in S803b, and writes it to the data storage unit 203. That is, of the XML file in Fig. 3, the recording start information metadata is treated as metadata 401 as shown in Fig. 13(b) and the recording metadata is treated as metadata 402, and the XML file is written to the data storage unit 203. At this time, the XML file may be generated with each piece of information in the metadata 403 left blank or set to 0, or an XML file that does not include the metadata 403 may be generated.

[0057] In S805b, the control unit 201 determines whether or not a recording end command has been received from the digital video camera 100 via the network I / F 202. If the control unit 201 determines that a recording end command has been received, it ends recording of the video image and proceeds to S806b. If the control unit 201 determines that a recording end command has not been received, it returns the process to S805b and waits for reception of the command.

[0058] In S806b, the control unit 201 reads from the RAM 109 the data received from the digital video camera 100 via the network I / F 202. Then, the control unit 201 determines whether or not the data is the recording end information metadata transmitted from the digital video camera 100 in S812a. If the control unit 201 determines that the recording end information metadata has been received, the process proceeds to S807b. If the control unit 201 determines that the recording end information metadata has not been received, the process returns to S806b. In other words, the control unit 201 repeats the process of S806b until the recording end information metadata is received.

[0059] In S807b, the control unit 201 reads out the XML file written to the data storage unit 203 in S804b. The control unit 201 then adds the recording stop information metadata received from the digital video camera 100 in S806b to the XML file as metadata 403 to complete the XML file and writes (overwrites) it to the storage unit 203. At this time, the control unit 201 calculates the recording time of the video from the reception time of the recording start command received in S801b and the reception time of the recording stop command received in S805b, adds the time information to the XML file, and writes it to the data storage unit 203. Since the information of the metadata 403 determined at the time of recording end is not recorded in the XML file written to the data storage unit 203 in S804b, the information that should be recorded in the XML file is not included. Therefore, the control unit 201 overwrites the XML file recorded in the data storage unit 203 in S804b with an XML file in which each piece of information of the metadata 403 is described in S804b, and the recording of the XML file is completed. Note that the process of S804b may be executed when the recording stop information metadata is received, without waiting for the completion of recording of the video data. Therefore, the recording of the XML file may be completed before the recording of the video data is completed. As described above, the digital video camera 100 continuously transmits video data to the network recorder 200, and also transmits commands instructing the timing of recording the video on the network recorder 200, and metadata required for creating an XML file. The digital video camera 100 also transmits metadata for use by the network recorder 200 when ending recording of the video. This enables the network recorder 200 to save the video data captured by the digital video camera 100 as a video file, and to generate an XML file from metadata from the start to end of recording of any video data, and to save the XML file in association with the video file. Note that in this embodiment, the setting XML file is set in advance by the digital video camera 100, but it may be set by the network recorder 200.

[0060] [Second embodiment] The second embodiment will be described below. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of the second embodiment. This system includes a digital video camera 100 that shoots moving images and creates and transmits metadata, a network recorder 200 that stores the moving image data and metadata transmitted from the digital video camera 100, and a controller 300. This controller 300 remotely controls the network recorder 200 by using a command transmission function for the network recorder 200.

[0061] The digital video camera 100 and the network recorder 200 are assumed to have the configurations shown in Figs. 2 and 4 described in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. The controller 300 in this second embodiment is used to externally perform the processes of S701 and S703 in Fig. 7 in the first embodiment. The digital video camera 100 executes a flow similar to the flow described in Fig. 8A. The digital video camera 100, the network recorder 200, and the controller 300 in this second embodiment are connected by a local area network (LAN). The digital video camera 100, the network recorder 200, and the controller 300 may be connected via a network switch or the like. They may also be connected by USB (Universal Serial Bus), HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), SDI (Serial Digital Interface), or the like. When connected by USB, any of the control transfer method, bulk transfer method, interrupt transfer method, and isochronous transfer method may be used. When connecting with HDMI (registered trademark), the TMDS (Transition Minimized Differential Signaling) method may be used. Furthermore, there are no particular restrictions on the protocol for communication between these devices, and the connection method can be either wired or wireless.

[0062] 10 is a block diagram of the controller 300. The controller 300 has a control unit 301, a network I / F 302, a display unit 303, an operation unit 304, a ROM 305, and a RAM 306. These components are connected to each other so that they can exchange data with each other. Each component is driven by power supplied from an outlet or power supplied from a battery.

[0063] The control unit 301 is a system control unit such as a CPU that controls the entire system of the controller 300. The control unit 301 loads a program recorded in a ROM 305 into a RAM 306, and executes the loaded program to control each component and perform calculation processing, and execute a flowchart described below. The control unit 301 also functions as a display control unit, since it generates display data for the display unit 303 and controls the display timing. The control unit 301 may be configured with a plurality of processors, or the control unit 301 may be configured integrally with the functions of other components (for example, an operation unit 304), or some of the functions of the other components may be provided in the control unit 301.

[0064] The ROM 305 is a non-volatile recording medium, and stores the programs executed by the control unit 301 and various settings.

[0065] The RAM 306 is a volatile recording medium used as a work memory for the control unit 301. The RAM 306 is also used as a VRAM that temporarily stores data to be displayed on the display unit 303.

[0066] The network I / F 302 transmits and receives data to and from the connected network recorder 200 under the control of the control unit 301. The network I / F 302 can transmit commands to the network recorder 200 for operating the network recorder 200. The network I / F 302 also receives setting information and operation information of the network recorder 200 from the network recorder 200 and stores the information in the RAM 306.

[0067] The display unit 303 is a display for displaying various setting states and received setting information of the network recorder 200 under the control of the control unit 301 .

[0068] The operation unit 304 is an operation unit that receives operations from a user and includes a power switch for supplying power to the controller 300 and operation buttons for operating the digital video camera 100 and the network recorder 200. The user can switch the communication partner with the controller 300 by operating the operation unit 304. When a moving image is to be recorded, the user can control the start and stop of recording of the moving image for the selected communication partner by operating the operation unit 304 to issue a recording start instruction or a recording stop instruction. When the operation unit 304 includes a touch panel, the touch panel may be any of various touch panel types such as a resistive film type, a capacitive type, a surface acoustic wave type, an infrared type, an electromagnetic induction type, an image recognition type, and an optical sensor type.

[0069] Fig. 11 is an operational flow diagram showing the basic operation of the controller 300. The control unit 301 reads out a program stored in the ROM 305, loads it in the RAM 306, and executes the loaded program to control each unit and perform arithmetic processing. Note that the processing shown in Fig. 11 is merely an example, and the order is not limited to this.

[0070] In S1100, the control unit 301 determines whether or not the user has input an instruction to start recording video data by operating the operation unit 304. If the control unit 301 determines that a recording start instruction has been input, the process proceeds to S1101. If the control unit 301 determines that a recording start instruction has not been input, the process returns to S1100. In other words, the control unit 301 repeats the process of S1100 until a recording start instruction is input.

[0071] In S1101 , the control unit 301 transmits a recording start command to the network recorder 200 via the network I / F 302 .

[0072] In S1102, the control unit 301 determines whether or not the user has input an instruction to end recording of video data by operating the operation unit 304. If the control unit 301 determines that an instruction to end recording has been input, the process proceeds to S1103. If the control unit 301 determines that an instruction to end recording has not been input, the process returns to S1102. That is, the control unit 301 repeats the process of S1100 until an instruction to end recording is input.

[0073] In S1103, the control unit 301 transmits a recording end command to the network recorder 200 via the network I / F 302, and ends this process.

[0074] FIG. 12A is an operational flow diagram showing characteristic operations of the controller 300 in the second embodiment.

[0075] In S1200a, the control unit 301 of the controller 300 determines whether or not a destination device selection operation to which a recording instruction is to be sent has been performed via the operation unit 304 from the user. If the control unit 301 determines that a destination device selection operation has been performed, the process proceeds to S1201a. If the control unit 301 determines that a destination device selection operation has not been performed, the process returns to S1200a. That is, the control unit 301 repeats the process of S1200a until a destination device selection operation is performed. Note that the number of destination devices is not limited to one, and may be multiple, with no particular limit on the number.

[0076] In S1201a, the control unit 301 determines whether or not a user has input an instruction to start moving image recording via the operation unit 304. If the control unit 301 determines that an instruction to start moving image recording has been input, the process proceeds to S1202a. If the control unit 301 determines that an instruction to start moving image recording has not been input, the process returns to S1201a. That is, the control unit 301 repeats the process of S1201a until an instruction to start moving image recording is input.

[0077] In S1202a, the control unit 301 transmits a recording start command to the destination device set in S1200a (network recorder 200 in this embodiment) via the network I / F 302. If multiple destination devices are selected in S1200a, the control unit 301 transmits the recording start command to all of the destination devices, but the timing at which the recording start commands are transmitted may differ.

[0078] In S1203a, the control unit 301 determines whether or not an instruction to end moving image recording has been input via the operation unit 304. If the control unit 301 determines that an instruction to end moving image recording has been input, the process proceeds to S1204a. If the control unit 301 determines that an instruction to end moving image recording has not been input, the process returns to S1203a. That is, the control unit 301 repeats the process of S1203a until an instruction to end moving image recording is input.

[0079] In S1204a, the control unit 301 transmits the recording end command to the destination device set in S1200a via the network I / F 302, and ends this process. Note that, if multiple destination devices are selected in S1200a, the control unit 301 transmits the recording end command to all of the destination devices, but the timing at which the recording end command is transmitted may differ.

[0080] By executing the above steps, the controller 300 can remotely control the start and end of recording of moving image data on the network recorder 200.

[0081] FIG. 12B is an operational flow diagram showing a characteristic operation of the network recorder 200 in the second embodiment.

[0082] In S1200b, the control unit 201 of the network recorder 200 determines whether or not moving image data has been received from the digital video camera 100. If the control unit 201 determines that moving image data has been received from the digital video camera 100, the process proceeds to S1201b. If the control unit 201 determines that moving image data has not been received from the digital video camera 100, the process returns to S1200b.

[0083] In S1201b, the control unit 201 determines whether or not a recording start command has been received from the controller 300 via the network I / F 202. If the control unit 201 determines that a recording start command has been received, the process proceeds to S1202b, and if the control unit 201 determines that the recording start command has not been received, the process returns to S1201b. In other words, the control unit 201 repeats the process of S1201b until the recording start command is received.

[0084] In S1202b, the control unit 201 starts recording the received video data in the data storage unit 203.

[0085] Then, in S1203b, control unit 201 transmits information indicating that recording has started (recording start information) via network I / F 202 to digital video camera 100 in order to request information related to metafile creation. This recording start information is information that serves as a trigger for requesting digital video camera 100 to transmit metadata. Upon receiving this recording start time information from network recorder 200, digital video camera 100 begins creating metadata.

[0086] S1204b to S1205b are the same as S803b to S804b in FIG. 8B, respectively, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0087] In S1206b, the control unit 201 reads from the RAM 205 the data received from the controller 300 via the network I / F 202, and determines whether the read data is a recording end command. That is, the control unit 201 determines whether a recording end command has been received. If the control unit 201 determines that a recording end command has been received, it ends the saving in the data saving unit 203, and proceeds to S1207b. If the control unit 201 determines that a recording end command has not been received, it returns to S1206b. That is, the control unit 201 repeats the process of S1206b until it receives a recording end command.

[0088] In S1207b, the control unit 201 transmits information indicating the end of recording (recording end information) to the digital video camera 100 via the network I / F 202. The recording end information serves as a trigger for the network recorder 200 to transmit metadata at the time of the recording end.

[0089] S1208b to S1209b are the same as S806b to S807b in FIG. 8B, respectively, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0090] By executing the above steps, the network recorder 200 is able to start and stop recording of video images received from the digital video camera 100, and also to acquire metadata from the digital video camera 100 at each timing.

[0091] FIG. 12C is an operational flow diagram showing a characteristic operation of the digital video camera 100 in the second preferred embodiment.

[0092] Since S1200b to S1201b are the same as S800a to S801a in FIG. 8A, respectively, a description thereof will be omitted.

[0093] In S1202c, the control unit 101 of the digital video camera 100 determines whether or not the recording start information transmitted by the network recorder 200 in S1203b of Fig. 12B has been received via the network I / F 105. If the control unit 101 determines that the recording start information has been received, the process proceeds to S1203c. If the control unit 101 determines that the recording start information has not been received, the process returns to S1202c. In other words, the control unit 101 repeats the process of S1202c until the recording start information is received.

[0094] S1203c to S1206c are the same as S803a and S805a to S807a in FIG. 8A, respectively, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0095] In S1207c, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the recording stop information transmitted by the network recorder 200 in S1207b of Fig. 12B has been received via the network I / F 105. If the control unit 101 determines that the recording stop information has been received, the process proceeds to S1208c. If the control unit 101 determines that the recording stop information has not been received, the process returns to S1207c. In other words, the control unit 101 repeats the process of S1207c until the recording stop information is received.

[0096] S1208c to S1210c are the same as S810a to S812a in Fig. 8A. In particular, note that in S1210c, the control unit 101 generates recording end information metadata in response to receiving the recording end information, and transmits it to the network recorder 200.

[0097] As described above, the user can obtain the same effect as in the first embodiment without operating the digital video camera 100 by operating the controller 300 and sending signals to the network recorder 200 to start and stop recording of moving images.

[0098] (Other Examples) The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0099] The disclosure of this specification includes the following recording apparatus, its control method, program, and system. (Item 1) A recording device having a communication means, the recording device recording moving image data received from an imaging device via the communication means, an image file recording means for starting recording of moving image data from the imaging device in response to receiving a recording start command via the communication means, and for recording a moving image file by ending recording of the moving image data upon receiving a recording end command via the communication means; a metafile recording means for starting creation of a metafile related to the moving image data based on information regarding creation of the metafile received upon receiving the recording start command via the communication means, and completing the metafile with metadata received upon receiving the recording end command; A recording apparatus comprising: (Item 2) means for receiving the recording start command and the recording end command from an external control device; When the recording start command is received, a request is made to the imaging device for information regarding the creation of a metafile at the start of recording; a means for requesting metadata at the time of the end of recording from the imaging device when the recording end command is received; 2. The recording device according to item 1, further comprising: (Item 3) A method for controlling a recording device having a communication means and configured to record moving image data received from an imaging device via the communication means, comprising the steps of: an image file recording step of starting recording of moving image data from the imaging device in response to receiving a recording start command via the communication means, and ending the recording of the moving image data upon receiving a recording end command via the communication means, thereby recording a moving image file; a metafile recording step of starting creation of a metafile related to the moving image data based on information regarding creation of the metafile received upon reception of the recording start command via the communication means, and completing the metafile with metadata received upon reception of the recording end command; 13. A method for controlling a recording apparatus comprising the steps of: (Item 4) A program that, when read and executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute each step of the method according to item 3. (Item 5) A system having an imaging device and a recording device connected to a network, The imaging device includes: a first transmission means for transmitting moving image data captured by an imaging means to the recording device; a second transmission means for transmitting a recording start command to the recording device in response to an instruction to start recording and a recording end command to the recording device in response to an instruction to end recording; a third transmission means for receiving an instruction to start recording and transmitting information regarding the creation of a metafile related to the moving image data at the start of recording to the recording device, and for receiving an instruction to end recording and transmitting metadata at the end of recording to the recording device; The recording device includes: an image file recording means for starting recording of moving image data from the imaging device in response to receiving the recording start command, and for ending recording of the moving image data upon receiving the recording end command, thereby recording a moving image file; a metafile recording means for starting the creation of a metafile related to the moving image data based on information regarding the creation of the metafile received when the recording start command is received, and completing the metafile with metadata received when the recording end command is received. A system characterized by: (Item 6) A system including an imaging device, a recording device, and a control device that controls the recording device, the system comprising: The control device includes: means for transmitting a recording start command to the recording device in response to a user's instruction to start recording, and for transmitting a recording end command to the recording device in response to a user's instruction to end recording; The recording device includes: a receiving means for receiving moving image data from the imaging device; an image file recording means for starting recording of the moving image data in response to receiving the recording start command, and for ending recording of the moving image data in response to receiving the recording end command, thereby recording a moving image file; a metafile recording means for requesting, when the recording start command is received, information regarding the creation of a metafile at the start of recording from the imaging device, and starting the creation of a metafile related to the moving image data based on the information obtained by the request, and for requesting, when the recording end command is received, metadata at the end of recording from the imaging device, and completing the metafile with the metadata obtained by the request; The imaging device includes: a first transmission means for transmitting moving image data obtained by the imaging means to the recording device; and a second metadata transmission means for transmitting information on the creation of a metafile and metadata in response to a request from the recording device. A system characterized by:

[0100] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 100...digital video camera, 101...control unit, 102...image compression / expansion unit, 103...imaging unit, 104...image processing unit, 105...network I / F, 106...display unit, 107...operation unit, 108...ROM, 109...RAM, 110...recording medium I / F, 111...recording medium, 200...network recorder, 201...control unit, 202...network I / F, 203...data storage unit, 204...ROM, 205...RAM, 206...video output I / F, 300...controller, 301...control unit, 302...network I / F, 303...display unit, 304...operation unit, 305...ROM, 306...RAM

Claims

1. A recording device having a communication means, which records moving image data received from an imaging device via the communication means, an image file recording means for starting recording of the moving image data from the imaging device in response to receiving a recording start command via the communication means, and for ending recording of the moving image data in response to receiving a recording end command via the communication means, thereby recording a moving image file; a metafile recording means for starting creation of a metafile related to the video data based on information related to creation of the metafile received upon receiving the recording start command via the communication means, and completing the metafile with metadata received upon receiving the recording end command; A recording device comprising:

2. means for receiving the recording start command and the recording end command from an external control device; When the recording start command is received, a request is made to the imaging device for information regarding the creation of a metafile at the time of starting recording; a means for requesting the imaging device for metadata at the time of recording end when the recording end command is received; 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. A method for controlling a recording device having a communication means and configured to record moving image data received from an imaging device via the communication means, comprising: an image file recording step of starting recording of the moving image data from the imaging device in response to receiving a recording start command via the communication means, and ending recording of the moving image data upon receiving a recording end command via the communication means, thereby recording a moving image file; a metafile recording step of starting creation of a metafile related to the video data based on information regarding creation of the metafile received upon receiving the recording start command via the communication means, and completing the metafile with metadata received upon receiving the recording stop command; 10. A method for controlling a recording apparatus, comprising:

4. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the recording device according to claim 1 or 2 when the program is read and executed by the computer.

5. A system having an imaging device and a recording device connected to a network, The imaging device is a first transmitting means for transmitting moving image data captured by the imaging means to the recording device; a second transmitting means for transmitting a recording start command to the recording device in response to an instruction to start recording and a recording end command to the recording device in response to an instruction to end recording; a third transmitting means for transmitting information regarding the creation of a metafile related to the moving image data at the start of recording to the recording device in response to an instruction to start recording, and for transmitting metadata at the end of recording to the recording device in response to an instruction to end recording, The recording device an image file recording means for starting recording of the moving image data from the imaging device in response to receiving the recording start command, and for ending recording of the moving image data upon receiving the recording end command, thereby recording a moving image file; a metafile recording means for starting creation of a metafile related to the video data based on information related to creation of the metafile received when the recording start command is received, and completing the metafile with metadata received when the recording end command is received. A system characterized by:

6. A system including an imaging device, a recording device, and a control device that controls the recording device, which are connected to a network, The control device means for transmitting a recording start command to the recording device in response to a user's instruction to start recording, and means for transmitting a recording end command to the recording device in response to a user's instruction to end recording; The recording device a receiving means for receiving moving image data from the imaging device; an image file recording means for recording a moving image file by starting recording of the moving image data in response to receiving the recording start command and ending recording of the moving image data in response to receiving the recording end command; a metafile recording means for requesting, when the recording start command is received, information regarding the creation of a metafile at the start of recording from the imaging device, and starting the creation of a metafile related to the moving image data based on the information obtained by the request, and for requesting, when the recording end command is received, metadata at the end of recording from the imaging device, and completing the metafile with the metadata obtained by the request; The imaging device is a first transmitting means for transmitting the moving image data obtained by the imaging means to the recording device; and second metadata transmission means for transmitting information about the creation of a metafile and metadata in response to a request from the recording device. A system characterized by:

Images