Display device, display control method, and program

Abstract

To provide a display device and the like that can suppress deterioration in image quality when performing image processing based on genre information.SOLUTION: A display device includes: a receiving unit that receives at least video data and genre information; an acquisition unit that acquires image quality information corresponding to the genre information; a genre detection unit that detects that the genre information has been changed; a scene detection unit that detects a scene change in the video data; and a control unit that, when a change in the genre information is detected, performs control to set image quality of the video data based on image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information, after the change gets detected and the scene change gets detected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a display device, a display control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for detecting the genre of a program being displayed on a television set and causing the television set to execute a type of brightness processing stored in association with the detected genre. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-111916 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Generally, in multiplexed broadcast waves, the video data and genre information of a program are not synchronized. Furthermore, when a program changes, the genre information is transmitted before the program changes. Therefore, the television detects the change in genre information before the video data of the program changes.

[0005] If a television detects a change in genre information and performs image processing using image quality settings (e.g., brightness settings) based on the genre information of the program after the change, the image processing will not be optimal. In other words, even though the video data displayed on the television is the video data before the program change, the video data will be image processed using the image quality settings of the next program. In this case, the image processing will not be performed using the optimal image quality settings, and the image quality of the displayed image will deteriorate. Patent Document 1 does not solve this problem.

[0006] In one aspect, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a display device or the like that can suppress degradation in image quality when performing image processing based on genre information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A display device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a receiving unit that receives at least video data and genre information, an acquiring unit that acquires image quality information corresponding to the genre information, a genre detection unit that detects a change in the genre information, a scene detection unit that detects a scene change in the video data, and a control unit that, when a change in the genre information is detected, controls the image quality of the video data to be set based on the image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information after the change has been detected and after the scene change has been detected. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a television according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a table showing the correspondence between genres and image quality parameters. [Figure 3A] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional change in image quality setting. [Figure 3B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of changing image quality settings to which the first embodiment is applied. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of scene change detection. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6A] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of changing image quality settings to which the second embodiment is applied. [Figure 6B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of changing the image quality setting to which the second embodiment is applied. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of changing image quality settings to which the third embodiment is applied. [Figure 9]11 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow according to a third embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of changing image quality settings to which the fourth embodiment is applied. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a television according to a sixth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] First Embodiment The first embodiment will be described below. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a television 100 according to the first embodiment. The television 100 (display device) includes a processing unit 101, a receiving unit 102, a storage unit 103, a connection unit 104, a speaker 105, a display unit 106, a network interface 107, and a remote control signal receiving unit 108. The television 100 may have a different configuration, or some of the configuration shown in Fig. 1 may be omitted.

[0010] The processing unit 101 includes a control unit 111, a genre detection unit 112, an image processing unit 113, an acquisition unit 114, a playback unit 115, and a scene detection unit 116. The processing unit 101 is a computer that executes various processes in each embodiment. The processing unit 301 has a processor and a memory. The processor of the processing unit 101 executes a plurality of instruction sets (programs) stored in the memory, thereby realizing various controls in each embodiment. Any processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) can be used as the processor.

[0011] The above-described programs are stored in a non-transitory recording medium such as a semiconductor medium, an optical recording medium, or a magneto-optical recording medium. The programs stored in the recording medium are executed by the processing unit 101, thereby realizing various controls of each embodiment. The above-described programs may also be acquired by the television 100 from an external server via a network.

[0012] The receiving unit 102 includes, for example, a tuner. The receiving unit 102 receives broadcast waves distributed by broadcasting equipment of one or more broadcasters and performs predetermined signal processing. The broadcast waves may include multiple programs distributed by the broadcasters. The receiving unit 102 receives the broadcast waves wirelessly or via a cable. The broadcast waves include terrestrial broadcasts (terrestrial digital television broadcasts) and satellite broadcasts. Satellite broadcasts include BS (Broadcasting Satellites) broadcasts, CS (Communication Satellites) broadcasts, and new 4K8K satellite broadcasts.

[0013] The storage unit 103 stores various types of information. For example, the storage unit 103 stores image quality parameters as image quality information related to image quality settings suitable for the video displayed on the display unit 106. The storage unit 103 may also store other information.

[0014] The connection unit 104 is connected to an external recording device 121. The external recording device 121 is a recording device that records program data received by the television 100. The external recording device 121 is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) hard disk, recorder, or the like.

[0015] The processing unit 101 can record the program data received by the receiving unit 102 in the external recording device 121 via the connection unit 104. The processing unit 101 also reads out program data (recorded data) recorded in the external recording device 121 via the connection unit 104 and plays back the read program data. The external recording device 121 may be, for example, a recording device built into the television 100.

[0016] The speaker 105 is a device that outputs audio. The display unit 106 is a device that displays video. Video of a program received by the receiving unit 102 is displayed on the display unit 106, and audio corresponding to the video is output from the speaker 105. The same applies when program data recorded in the external recording device 121 is played back.

[0017] The network interface 107 is connected to an external server via the Internet. The television 100 can acquire, for example, video data from the external server. Details will be described later.

[0018] The remote control signal receiving unit 108 receives a signal from a remote controller used to operate the television 100. The remote control signal receiving unit 108 outputs the received signal to the processing unit 101.

[0019] The control unit 111 of the processing unit 101 performs various controls in each embodiment. The genre detection unit 112 detects genre information and, if the genre information is changed, detects the change in genre information. Details of genre information will be described later. The image processing unit 113 performs image processing of the video data with image quality settings (image quality parameters) suitable for the video displayed on the display unit 106.

[0020] The acquisition unit 114 acquires image quality parameters suitable for the video displayed on the display unit 106 from the storage unit 103. The playback unit 115 reads out program data recorded in the external recording device 121 and performs processing to play back the read program data.

[0021] The scene detection unit 116 detects scene changes in a program. A program is made up of multiple scenes, and the scene detection unit 116 detects scene changes in a program based on changes in scenes before and after the multiple scenes.

[0022] Video data and genre information are multiplexed in the information about a program in the broadcast waves received by the receiving unit 102. The genre information indicates the genre of the program. Genres include, for example, sports, news, drama, etc.

[0023] Image processing unit 113 performs image processing on the video data using image quality parameters for image quality settings according to the video data of the program. The image quality parameters for performing suitable image processing differ depending on the genre of the program. For example, the optimal image quality parameters for a sports genre are different from the optimal image quality parameters for a news genre. However, the same image quality parameters may be used even for different genres.

[0024] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example table of correspondence relationships between genres and image quality parameters. For example, in the example of Fig. 2, when the genre is sports, the image quality parameters used in image processing of the video data are brightness A1, saturation B1, and hue C1.

[0025] When the genre corresponding to the video displayed on display unit 106 is sports, acquisition unit 114 reads out the example table of Fig. 2 stored in storage unit 103 and acquires image quality parameters corresponding to the genre of sports. Image processing unit 113 then performs image processing on the video data using the acquired image quality parameters.

[0026] The same applies when the genre is news or when the genre is drama. Acquisition unit 114 acquires image quality parameters corresponding to the genre information, and image processing unit 113 performs image processing on the video data using the acquired image quality parameters, so that an appropriate video according to the genre is displayed on display unit 106.

[0027] Examples of genres and image quality parameters are not limited to the examples in Fig. 2. For example, a genre such as a movie may be applied as the genre. For example, contrast, sharpness, noise reduction, etc. may be applied as the image quality parameters.

[0028] The following describes the case where a program on a broadcast wave is switched. The video data and genre information of the program multiplexed onto the broadcast wave received by the receiving unit 102 are not synchronized. In addition, the genre information is transmitted on the broadcast wave prior to the video data.

[0029] The genre detection unit 112 detects the genre of a program based on the genre information multiplexed on the broadcast wave received by the receiving unit 102. As described above, the genre information is transmitted prior to the video data. Therefore, when switching between programs of different genres, the genre detection unit 112 detects the change in program genre before the video data is switched.

[0030] Conventional televisions change the image quality parameters of the image processing applied to video data when a change in genre is detected. In this case, even though the video displayed on the television is video from the previous program, the video data of that video is subjected to image processing using the image quality parameters of the next program. In this case, the image quality may not be optimal because image processing is performed using image quality parameters that are not suitable for the video data.

[0031] 3A is a diagram showing an example of a conventional picture quality setting change. Before time T1, the television is receiving video data and genre information for Program A. The genre of Program A is assumed to be sports, and the genre of Program B is assumed to be news.

[0032] At time T1, which is before time T2 when the video data of program A is switched to the video data of program B, the genre information received by the television is switched from the genre information of program A to the genre information of program B. As a result, the television detects the change in genre information at time T1.

[0033] Conventional televisions change the image quality parameters of the image processing applied to the video data from the image quality parameters of program A to the image quality parameters of program B at time T1 when a change in genre information is detected.

[0034] In this case, the video displayed on the television from time T1 to T2 is Program A, but the video data of that video is subjected to image processing using the image quality parameters of Program B. In the above example, the video displayed from time T1 to T2 is a sports program, but the video data of that sports program is subjected to image processing using the image quality parameters of news.

[0035] Therefore, between times T1 and T2, the video data is not subjected to suitable image processing, and the video displayed on the television is not of optimal quality. This causes users watching television to feel uncomfortable with the image quality between times T1 and T2. As a result, the image quality deteriorates between times T1 and T2.

[0036] 3B is a diagram showing an example of changing image quality settings when the first embodiment is applied. Before time T1, the receiving unit 102 receives video data and genre information for program A, and the display unit 106 displays video data that has been image processed using the image quality parameters of program A. At time T1, the genre information received by the receiving unit 102 switches from the genre information for program A to the genre information for program B.

[0037] At time T1, genre detection unit 112 detects that genre information has changed. In this embodiment, upon detecting that genre information has changed, control unit 111 controls image processing unit 113 not to change the image quality parameters applied, but to maintain the image quality parameters applied to program A.

[0038] After the genre detection unit 112 detects a change in genre information and the scene detection unit 116 detects a scene change, the control unit 111 changes the image quality parameters applied by the image processing unit 113 to the image quality parameters of program B.

[0039] This allows the timing at which the image quality parameters for image processing applied to video data are changed to coincide with the timing at which the video data of the program is switched when the genre information received by the receiving unit 102 of the television 100 is changed.

[0040] In the example of Fig. 3B, between times T1 and T2, even if genre detection unit 112 detects a change in genre, control unit 111 causes image processing unit 113 to maintain the image quality parameters of program A. As will be described later, the image quality parameters applied may change depending on the scene within the same program. Details regarding scene-based changes will be described later.

[0041] If the genre of program A is sports and the genre of program B is news, between times T1 and T2, image processing unit 113 performs image processing on the video data of the sports program using the image quality parameters for sports under the control of control unit 111. This prevents degradation in the image quality of the video displayed on display unit 106.

[0042] The scene changes detected by the scene detection unit 116 will now be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of scene change detection. The example in FIG. 4 shows two consecutive scenes in video data. "preHist" represents a histogram of the luminance of the video data before the scene change. "Hist" represents a histogram of the luminance of the video data after the scene change. The horizontal axis of each histogram represents luminance, and the vertical axis represents the frequency of occurrence.

[0043] The scene detection unit 116 detects whether a scene change has occurred for each scene in the video data based on whether the amount of change in the luminance histogram between the previous and next scenes is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. For example, when the sum of the absolute values ​​or squared difference values ​​of each bin for the luminance histograms of the previous and next scenes is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the control unit 111 detects that a scene change has occurred.

[0044] 4, the difference values ​​of multiple bins at low luminance are large between the "preHist" video data and the "Hist" video data. For example, assume that the difference value of the absolute value between each bin of the "preHist" video data and each bin of the "Hist" video data is equal to or greater than a threshold.

[0045] In this case, the scene detection unit 116 detects that a scene change has occurred between the video data of “preHist” and the video data of “Hist.” The above threshold value can be set arbitrarily.

[0046] The scene detection unit 116 may detect scene changes using a method other than the above-described brightness histogram. For example, video data may be accompanied by metadata indicating the brightness of the video signal for each scene. The metadata may be, for example, dynamic metadata defined by HDR (High Dynamic Range). The dynamic metadata may include, for example, information on the maximum brightness of the video signal for each scene.

[0047] The scene detection unit 116 may detect a scene change based on the above metadata. For example, the scene detection unit 116 may detect a scene change when the amount of change in luminance of the video signal indicated by the dynamic metadata of the previous and next scenes is equal to or greater than the above threshold.

[0048] Furthermore, the scene detection unit 116 may detect a scene change based on a change in audio data corresponding to video data. For example, if a commercial (CM) is inserted between program A and program B, the scene detection unit 116 may detect a scene change when it detects the CM.

[0049] For example, consider a case where the audio of a commercial is stereo and the audio of a program is monaural or dual audio. The scene detection unit 116 may detect a scene change when it detects that the audio data corresponding to the video data has switched from monaural or dual audio to stereo.

[0050] Furthermore, at the transition from a program to a commercial, the audio data of the broadcast wave often becomes silent for a short period of time. The scene detection unit 116 may detect a scene change when the audio data becomes silent.

[0051] The base volume of the audio data of the program and the audio data of the commercial are different. The scene detection unit 116 may detect a scene change when the amount of change in the volume data is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. The above-described method of detecting a scene change based on changes in audio data can be applied not only to a change from a program to a commercial, but also to a change from program A to program B, for example.

[0052] The scene detection unit 116 may also detect a scene change based on the presence or absence of a logo representing a broadcaster. The program data of a program broadcast by airwaves includes a logo representing the broadcaster. On the other hand, the logo is not included in a commercial. The scene detection unit 116 may detect a scene change when the logo is no longer detected.

[0053] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the first embodiment. The flowchart in Fig. 5 is executed continuously while the video data of the program of the broadcast wave received by the receiving unit 102 is displayed on the display unit 106.

[0054] The control unit 111 determines whether the genre detection unit 112 has detected that the genre information received by the receiving unit 102 has been changed (step S101). If the genre detection unit 112 has not detected that the genre information has been changed, the control unit 111 determines No in step S101 and proceeds to step S103. Note that before step S101 is executed, the following image quality change flag is set to False.

[0055] If the genre detection unit 112 detects that the genre information has been changed, the control unit 111 determines Yes in step S101 and proceeds to step S102. The control unit 111 sets the image quality change flag to True (step S102).

[0056] The image quality change flag is a flag indicating a change in image quality parameters to be applied to the image processing unit 113. The control unit 111 sets the image quality change flag to True when the scene detection unit 116 detects a scene change.

[0057] Control unit 111 determines whether the image quality change flag is True (step S103). If the image quality change flag is not True (False), control unit 111 determines No in step S103 and ends the flowchart in FIG. 4 without changing the image quality parameters.

[0058] If the image quality change flag is True, the control unit 111 determines Yes in step S103 and proceeds to step S104. The scene detection unit 116 determines whether a scene change has been detected (step S104). If the scene detection unit 116 has not detected a scene change, the control unit 111 determines No in step S104 and ends the flowchart in FIG.

[0059] If scene detection unit 116 detects a scene change, control unit 111 determines Yes in step S104 and proceeds to step S105. Control unit 111 changes the image quality parameters applied to image processing unit 113 to the image quality parameters of the genre of the next program (program B) acquired by acquisition unit 114 (step S105).

[0060] The control unit 111 sets the image quality change flag to False (step S106). As a result, the image quality change flag is returned to False. After executing step S106, the control unit 111 ends the flowchart in Fig. 5. The processes of steps S101 to S106 described above are continuously performed while the video data of the program of the broadcast wave received by the receiving unit 102 is being displayed on the display unit 106.

[0061] As described above, in this embodiment, the control unit 111 changes the image quality parameters after a scene change is detected, not when a change in genre is detected. This prevents image processing using the image quality parameters of the genre information of the next program from being performed on the video data of the currently displayed program.

[0062] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the control unit 111 controls the image processing unit 113 so as to perform smoothing processing after a scene change is detected. The smoothing processing is processing for gradually changing the image quality.

[0063] 6A is a diagram showing an example of changing image quality settings to which the second embodiment is applied. The control unit 111 acquires the image feature amounts of the video data at time T2 when a scene change is detected, and changes the image quality parameters in stages starting from the image quality parameters corresponding to the acquired image feature amounts toward the image quality parameters of the genre information of the next program B.

[0064] Control unit 111 can change the image quality parameters applied to the same program depending on the scene. For example, in the example of Fig. 6A, control unit 111 controls so that image processing using the image quality parameters of program A is performed until time T2.

[0065] On the other hand, the video data of program A is made up of multiple scenes (frames), each with a different video feature. The control unit 111 analyzes the video feature of each scene included in the video data and changes the image quality parameters corresponding to the genre information of program A according to the video feature of each scene. Since the image quality parameters (image quality parameters of the image processing applied to the video data of program A) change according to the scene, the image quality of the video data can be improved. This is also true for each embodiment other than the second embodiment.

[0066] When changing the image quality parameters, control unit 111 sets image quality parameters corresponding to the video feature amounts of the scene in the video data at time T2 when the scene change is detected, rather than at time T1. Control unit 111 then performs a process (smoothing process) to gradually change the image quality parameters from the image quality parameters applied at time T2 toward the image quality parameters of program B.

[0067] At time T2, when the image quality parameters applied to image processing unit 113 are directly changed from the image quality parameters of program A to the image quality parameters of program B, the image processing applied to the video data by image processing unit 113 changes immediately, which causes the video displayed on display unit 106 to change abruptly, potentially reducing user visibility.

[0068] At time T2, control unit 111 controls image processing unit 113 to perform the smoothing process. As a result, from time T2, the image quality parameters are changed in stages, and the image processing that image processing unit 113 applies to the video data changes gradually. As a result, the video displayed on display unit 106 can also change gradually.

[0069] Any method such as linear interpolation may be applied to the smoothing process. Control unit 111 may keep the degree of gradual change in the image quality parameter when applying the smoothing process constant or may vary. For example, control unit 111 may gradually increase the degree of change in the image quality parameter when performing the smoothing process.

[0070] 6B is a diagram showing an example of changing the image quality setting to which the second embodiment is applied. At time T2, the broadcast wave switches from program A to a commercial. At this time, the scene detection unit 116 detects a scene change. After the scene detection unit 116 detects the scene change, the control unit 111 performs a smoothing process.

[0071] Starting from time T2, control unit 111 performs smoothing processing to gradually change the image quality parameters applied to image processing unit 113 from the image quality parameters of program A to the image quality parameters of program B. This allows the image displayed on display unit 106 to change gradually.

[0072] The duration of one commercial is set to a fixed specified time (for example, 15 seconds). Control unit 111 may perform smoothing processing so as to gradually change the image quality parameters from program A to program B during the specified commercial time.

[0073] As described in the first embodiment, the scene detection unit 116 can detect that a program broadcast by airwaves has switched to a commercial, for example, based on audio data, a logo mark, etc. When the scene detection unit 116 detects a switch to a commercial, the control unit 111 may change the image quality parameters stepwise at equal intervals (for example, one second) for a specified time of the commercial.

[0074] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the second embodiment. The processes from steps S101 to S106 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore their explanations will be omitted. After a scene change is detected by the scene detection unit 116, the control unit 111 performs a smoothing process (step S201). As a result, after the scene change is detected, the image quality parameters applied to the image processing unit 113 are changed in stages.

[0075] As described above, in this embodiment, after a scene change is detected, the control unit 111 performs a smoothing process that gradually changes the image quality parameters that were applied at time T2 toward the image quality parameters of the next program.

[0076] This allows the image quality parameters applied when image processing unit 113 processes the video data to be changed in stages, and therefore the image quality of the video data is also changed in stages. This reduces the sense of discomfort felt by the user compared to when the image quality parameters applied to image processing unit 113 are changed immediately.

[0077] <Third embodiment> Next, a third embodiment will be described. As described above, after a change in genre is detected and a scene change is detected, the control unit 111 changes the image quality parameters that the image processing unit 113 applies when image processing video data. Here, after the genre detection unit 112 detects a change in genre information, there are cases in which the scene detection unit 116 does not detect a scene change.

[0078] For example, if the sum of the differences between the absolute values ​​of each bin of the brightness histogram of the last video data of program A and the absolute values ​​of each bin of the brightness histogram of the first video data of program B is less than the above-mentioned threshold, the scene detection unit 116 does not detect a scene change.

[0079] In the third embodiment, if the scene detection unit 116 does not detect a scene change even after a certain time TW has elapsed since the genre detection unit 112 detected a change in genre information, the control unit 111 determines that a timeout has occurred and performs the smoothing process described in the second embodiment. The certain time TW may be set to, for example, the specified time for one commercial (e.g., 15 seconds). The certain time TW may also be set to any time other than the specified time for one commercial.

[0080] 8 is a diagram showing an example of a change in image quality setting to which the third embodiment is applied. As shown in the example of FIG. 8, the genre detection unit 112 detects a change in genre information at time T1. On the other hand, at time T2 when the video data of program A is switched to the video data of program B, the scene detection unit 116 does not detect a scene change. In this case, the control unit 111 starts smoothing processing at time T3, after a certain time TW has elapsed since time T1.

[0081] This makes it possible to prevent image quality parameters from not being changed when scene detection section 116 does not detect a scene change due to a small difference in the luminance histogram of the video data.

[0082] 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the third embodiment. The processing of steps S101 to S106 and S201 is the same as in the second embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0083] If the scene change is not detected by the scene detection unit 116, the control unit 111 determines No in step S104, and determines whether a certain time TW has elapsed since the change in genre information was detected (step S301).

[0084] If the certain time TW has not elapsed since the change in genre information was detected, the control unit 111 determines No in step S301 and ends the flowchart in Fig. 9. In this case, while the video data of the program of the broadcast wave received by the receiving unit 102 is being displayed on the display unit 106, each process in the flowchart in Fig. 9 continues to be performed.

[0085] If a certain time TW has elapsed since a change in genre information was detected, the control unit 111 determines Yes in step S301 and proceeds to step S201. In other words, the control unit 111 determines that a timeout has occurred, and performs the smoothing process of step S201.

[0086] As described above, in this embodiment, if the scene detection unit 116 does not detect a scene change, smoothing processing is performed after a certain time TW has elapsed since a change in genre information was detected. This makes it possible to change the image quality parameters applied to the image processing unit 113 even if the scene detection unit 116 does not detect a scene change.

[0087] This embodiment can also be applied to the first embodiment. In this case, control unit 111 performs step S105 of the flowchart in Fig. 5 instead of step S201 of the flowchart in Fig. 9. In this case, control unit 111 immediately switches the image quality parameters rather than performing smoothing processing after a certain time TW has elapsed since a change in genre information was detected. Even in this case, the effects of this embodiment can be obtained.

[0088] Furthermore, the control unit 111 may change the speed of the smoothing process depending on whether a timeout has occurred. Specifically, the control unit 111 may set the processing speed of the smoothing process performed in response to the occurrence of a timeout to be slower than the processing speed of the smoothing process performed in response to the scene detection unit 116 detecting a scene change.

[0089] 8, at time T3, which is a certain time TW after time T1, it is assumed that some time has passed since the video of program B began to be displayed on display unit 106. It is preferable to gradually change the image quality setting while the video of program B is being displayed on display unit 106. For this reason, control unit 111 sets the processing speed of the smoothing process performed in response to the occurrence of a timeout to a slow speed.

[0090] Furthermore, the control unit 111 may perform smoothing processing when a timeout occurs, and may perform step S105 in the first embodiment when the scene detection unit 116 detects a scene change. This makes it possible to control whether to apply smoothing processing depending on whether a timeout has occurred.

[0091] <Fourth embodiment> Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. The broadcast waves received by the receiving unit 102 include program information related to the programs. The control unit 111 generates an electronic program guide (EPG) based on the program information received by the receiving unit 102. The electronic program guide is generated by arranging programs in chronological order for each channel (broadcaster). For example, the electronic program guide includes information on each program distributed by each broadcaster for each week.

[0092] The electronic program guide includes information on the start time and the length of the program. The control unit 111, for example, stores the electronic program guide in the storage unit 103. The electronic program guide may be obtained from an external server via the network interface 107, for example, via the Internet.

[0093] Here, the control unit 111 may set the time to change the image quality parameters based on an electronic program guide. As described above, the electronic program guide includes information on the start time and length of each program. The control unit 111 sets the time to change the image quality parameters based on the start time of each program included in the electronic program guide. Note that if the electronic program guide includes information on the end time of a program, the control unit 111 may recognize a change in program based on the end time of the program included in the electronic program guide.

[0094] 10 is a diagram showing an example of changing the image quality setting to which the fourth embodiment is applied. The program guide data indicates that at time T2, program A switches to program B. On the other hand, the scene detection unit 116 may detect a scene change at time T4, which is before time T2.

[0095] The video data of Program A is composed of multiple scenes. The video feature quantities (e.g., luminance, hue histogram, etc.) of each scene in Program A may change significantly between the previous and next scenes. In this case, the scene detection unit 116 detects a scene change before switching from Program A to Program B.

[0096] In this embodiment, when program guide data is available, even if scene detection unit 116 detects a scene change, control unit 111 performs control not to change the image quality parameters but to maintain the image quality parameters of program A. Then, based on the program guide data, control unit 111 performs control to change the image quality parameters after the current time reaches time T2, when program A switches to program B.

[0097] As a result, even if scene detection unit 116 detects a scene change before the program changes, the time at which the image quality parameters applied to image processing unit 113 are changed can be made to coincide with the time at which the video data changes. In this case, image processing using the image quality parameters of the genre information of the next program will not be performed on the video data of the currently displayed program, so there will be no degradation in image quality.

[0098] On the other hand, the program guide data is information different from the genre information multiplexed onto the broadcast waves. When using the program guide data, the control unit 111 executes, for example, a predetermined application to read and decode the program guide data stored in the storage unit 103.

[0099] This reduces the efficiency of the processing, as the control unit 111 must perform image processing of the video data and processing related to the program guide data in real time based on the broadcast waves received by the receiving unit 102. In other words, when the control unit 111 performs the various processes described above, it is more efficient to perform the processing in real time based on the genre information included in the distributed program guide data than to perform the processing using the program guide data.

[0100] Therefore, for example, it may be possible to select whether to set a process that uses program guide data or a process that does not use program guide data. For example, a user may be able to use a remote controller to select the above setting on the television 100. Furthermore, when the television 100 is shipped, either a process that uses program guide data or a process that does not use program guide data may be set.

[0101] When program guide data is not used, the control unit 111 performs control to change the image quality parameters after the genre detection unit 112 detects a change in genre information and after the scene detection unit 116 detects a scene change.

[0102] As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the control unit 111 uses the program guide data to control the change of the image quality parameters, and therefore image processing using the image quality parameters of the genre information of the next program is suppressed from being performed on the video data of the currently displayed program. As a result, deterioration in image quality can be suppressed. The fourth embodiment is also applicable to the first to third embodiments.

[0103] Fifth Embodiment Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. Program data of a broadcast wave received by the receiving unit 102 can be recorded in an external recording device 121. For example, when a user issues a recording instruction by operating a remote controller, the remote control signal receiving unit 108 receives the recording instruction from the remote controller. Based on the recording instruction, the control unit 111 causes the program data (recording data) to be recorded in the external recording device 121. Furthermore, when a function such as scheduled recording is used, the control unit 111 records the specified program data in the external recording device 121 at a specified time.

[0104] The program data recorded in the external recording device 121 is recorded in the external recording device 121 in a format called partial TS (Transport Stream), for example. A partial TS is a group of packets constructed from packets necessary for playing back program data, selected from TS packets of normal broadcast waves.

[0105] Program data recorded in the external recording device 121 in the form of a partial TS also includes genre information, just like the broadcast waves received by the receiving unit 102. This genre information is not synchronized with the video data of the program data. Furthermore, the timing at which the genre information changes precedes the timing at which the video data changes. For this reason, if the image quality parameters are changed to those of the next program when a change in genre information is detected, the above-mentioned problem occurs.

[0106] For example, suppose that a user uses a remote controller to perform an operation to play program data recorded in the external recording device 121. A play instruction for the designated program data is transmitted from the remote controller. The remote control signal receiving unit 108 receives the play instruction. The remote control signal receiving unit 108 outputs the received play instruction to the processing unit 101.

[0107] Based on the playback instruction, the playback unit 115 reads out the specified program data from the external recording device 121 via the connection unit 104. In this case, the connection unit 104 functions as a receiving unit. The playback unit 115 then controls the playback of the read program data. The playback unit 115 displays the video of the program data on the display unit 106 and outputs the audio of the program data from the speaker 105.

[0108] While the playback unit 115 controls the playback of the program data, the control unit 111 performs the control described above in the first embodiment. Specifically, the control unit 111 performs each process in the flowchart of FIG.

[0109] As described above, the program data recorded in the external recording device 121 includes video data and genre information. Furthermore, the video data and genre information are not synchronized. Therefore, while the playback unit 115 is playing back the program data, the control unit 111 determines whether the genre detection unit 112 has detected a change in the genre information.

[0110] Control unit 111 does not change the image quality parameters after genre detection unit 112 detects a change in genre information and until scene detection unit 116 detects a scene change. Control unit 111 changes the image quality parameters to be applied to image processing unit 113 to the image quality parameters of the next program after genre detection unit 112 detects a change in genre information and scene detection unit 116 detects a scene change.

[0111] As a result, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained when playing back program data recorded in the external recording device 121. The fifth embodiment can also be applied to the first to fourth embodiments.

[0112] Sixth Embodiment Next, a sixth embodiment will be described. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a television 100 according to the sixth embodiment. In the example of Fig. 11, an external recording device 131 is connected to the television 100. The external recording device 131 in the example of Fig. 11 is different from the external recording device 121 in the example of Fig. 1.

[0113] 11 is a recorder capable of writing to and reading from optical discs, such as a Blu-ray (registered trademark) recorder. The external recording device 131 and the connection unit 122 of the television 100 are connected by, for example, an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface, HDMI is a registered trademark) cable. Therefore, both the television 100 and the external recording device 131 are HDMI-compatible devices.

[0114] The HDMI cable includes an AV signal transmission path 123A and a CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) signal transmission path 123B. The AV signal transmission path 123A is a first transmission path that transmits video data and audio data. The CEC signal transmission path 123B is a second single-wire serial transmission path defined by the HDMI-CEC standard. Communication that recognizes EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) is possible between the television 100 and the external recording device 131 via the CEC signal transmission path 123B.

[0115] The control unit 111 of the television 100 controls the external recording device 131 to record the program data of the broadcast waves received by the receiving unit 102 via the HDMI cable. As a result, the external recording device 131 records the program data of the broadcast waves received by the television 100 as recorded data.

[0116] In the sixth embodiment, similarly to the fifth embodiment, the playback unit 115 reads out program data recorded in the external recording device 131 via the connection unit 122. In this case, the connection unit 122 functions as a receiving unit. The playback unit 115 controls the playback of the program data. In the sixth embodiment, the video data is transmitted via an AV signal transmission path 123A, and the genre information is transmitted via a CEC signal transmission path 123B. The video data and the genre information are not synchronized.

[0117] Therefore, in the sixth embodiment, the same processing as in the first embodiment is performed. The control unit 111 changes the image quality parameters after the genre detection unit 112 detects a change in genre information and after the scene detection unit 116 detects a scene change.

[0118] As a result, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained when playing back program data recorded in the external recording device 131 via an HDMI cable. The sixth embodiment can also be applied to the first to fourth embodiments.

[0119] <Modification> In the above-described fourth embodiment, program data of a broadcast wave received by the receiving unit 102 of the television 100 is recorded in the external recording device 131. Then, when the playback unit 115 plays back the program data recorded in the external recording device 131, the control unit 111 performs the various processes described in the fourth embodiment.

[0120] For example, the fourth embodiment is also applicable to a case where the program data recorded in the external recording device 131 is not broadcast program data but video data (content). The content is provided by, for example, an external server connected via the Internet. For example, the television 100 obtains the content from the network interface 107 via the Internet, and the obtained content is recorded in the external recording device 131. Alternatively, the content may be recorded in the external recording device 131 not via the television 100 but via, for example, a personal computer.

[0121] A content may contain multiple pieces of video data. In this case, genre information may be included in the content for each piece of video data. In addition, there may be cases where the video data and genre information for each piece of video data are not synchronized.

[0122] In such a case, when the playback unit 115 plays back multiple pieces of video data included in the content, the control unit 111 performs the various processes of the fifth embodiment, thereby achieving the same effect as in the fifth embodiment. Even when the content is recorded on the external recording device 131 connected to the television 100 via HDMI, as in the sixth embodiment, the control unit 111 performs the various processes of the sixth embodiment, thereby achieving the same effect as in the sixth embodiment.

[0123] Furthermore, the content may be, for example, content distributed by an external server. For example, the television 100 is connected to the external server via the Internet through the network interface 107. The television 100 can stream the content distributed by the external server.

[0124] When the content to be streamed includes multiple pieces of video data, each of which is associated with genre information, the control unit 111 can perform the various processes of the fifth or sixth embodiment described above. The content is acquired from an external server, not from the external recording device 121 or the external recording device 131. In this case, the network interface 107 functions as a receiving unit.

[0125] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment. Furthermore, the order of the processes in the flowcharts described in the above-described embodiments can be changed as much as possible.

[0126] A program that realizes the functions of each embodiment is stored in a non-transitory recording medium such as a semiconductor medium, an optical recording medium, or a magneto-optical recording medium. For example, a non-volatile memory card may be used as the semiconductor medium. For example, a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) may be used as the optical recording medium or magneto-optical recording medium. Furthermore, the program may be supplied to a computer via any transmission medium capable of transmitting data. [Explanation of symbols]

[0127] 100 television, 101 processing unit, 102 receiving unit, 103 memory unit, 104 connection unit, 105 speaker, 106 display unit, 107 network interface, 108 remote control signal receiving unit, 111 control unit, 112 genre detection unit, 113 image processing unit, 114 acquisition unit, 115 playback unit, 116 scene detection unit, 121 external recording device, 122 connection unit, 123A AV signal transmission path, 123B CEC signal transmission path, 131 external recording device

Claims

1. a receiving unit that receives at least video data and genre information; an acquisition unit that acquires image quality information corresponding to the genre information; a genre detection unit that detects that the genre information has been changed; a scene detection unit that detects a scene change in the video data; a control unit that, when a change in the genre information is detected, controls to set the image quality of the video data based on image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information after the change is detected and after the scene change is detected; Equipped with The control unit of the display device starts control to set the image quality of the video data if the scene change is not detected after a certain time has elapsed since it was detected that the genre information had been changed.

2. A receiving unit that receives at least video data and genre information; an acquisition unit that acquires image quality information corresponding to the genre information; a genre detection unit that detects that the genre information has been changed; a scene detection unit that detects a scene change in the video data; a control unit that, when a change in the genre information is detected, controls to set the image quality of the video data based on image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information after the change is detected and after the scene change is detected; Equipped with the control unit performs a process of gradually changing image quality information corresponding to a video feature amount of the scene of the video data at the time when the scene change is detected toward image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information, The control unit starts the gradual change process when the scene change is not detected after a certain time has elapsed since it was detected that the genre information had been changed.

3. A receiving unit that receives at least video data and genre information; an acquisition unit that acquires image quality information corresponding to the genre information; a genre detection unit that detects that the genre information has been changed; a scene detection unit that detects a scene change in the video data; a control unit that, when a change in the genre information is detected, controls to set the image quality of the video data based on image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information after the change is detected and after the scene change is detected; Equipped with the control unit controls whether to set the image quality of the video data based on the program guide data acquired by the display device; The control unit controls the display device to set the image quality of the video data at the time of the program change when the program guide data indicates that the time when the scene change was detected after the genre information was changed is before the program change.

4. The display device described in claim 2, wherein the control unit sets the processing speed of the gradual change process when no scene change is detected after the certain time has elapsed since it was detected that the genre information had been changed to be slower than the processing speed of the gradual change process when it was detected that the genre information had been changed.

5. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit performs the gradual change process if the scene change is not detected after the certain time has elapsed since it was detected that the genre information had been changed, and controls the display device so that the gradual change process is not performed if the scene change is detected before the certain time has elapsed since it was detected that the genre information had been changed.

6. a playback unit that reads out and plays back recorded data of a program including the received video data and the genre information from a recording device that records the recorded data, A display device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the control unit detects that the genre information of the recorded data being played back has been changed, after the change has been detected and after the scene change has been detected, the control unit controls the image quality of the video data to be set based on the image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information.

7. a playback unit that reads the video data from a recording device that records recording data of a program including the video data and the genre information via a first transmission path, reads the genre information from the recording data via a second transmission path different from the first transmission path, and plays back the recording data, A display device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the control unit detects that the genre information of the recorded data being played back has been changed, after the change has been detected and after the scene change has been detected, the control unit controls the image quality of the video data to be set based on the image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information.

8. receiving at least video data and genre information; acquiring image quality information corresponding to the genre information; Detecting that the genre information has been changed; Detecting a scene change in the video data; when a change in the genre information is detected, after the change is detected and the scene change is detected, control is performed so that the image quality of the video data is set based on image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information; If the scene change is not detected after a certain time has elapsed since the change in the genre information was detected, control for setting the image quality of the video data is started. A display control method in which processing is performed by a computer.

9. Receive at least video data and genre information; acquiring image quality information corresponding to the genre information; Detecting that the genre information has been changed; Detecting a scene change in the video data; when a change in the genre information is detected, after the change is detected and the scene change is detected, control is performed so that the image quality of the video data is set based on image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information; performing a process of gradually changing image quality information corresponding to the image feature amount of the scene of the video data at the time when the scene change is detected toward image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information; If the scene change is not detected after a certain time has elapsed since the change in the genre information was detected, the gradual change process is started. A display control method in which processing is performed by a computer.

10. Receive at least video data and genre information; acquiring image quality information corresponding to the genre information; Detecting that the genre information has been changed; Detecting a scene change in the video data; when a change in the genre information is detected, after the change is detected and the scene change is detected, control is performed so that the image quality of the video data is set based on image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information; Controlling whether to set the image quality of the video data based on the program guide data acquired by the display device; If the program guide data indicates that the time when the scene change is detected after the genre information is changed is before a program change, control is performed so that the image quality of the video data is set at the time when the program change occurs. A display control method in which processing is performed by a computer.

11. receiving at least video data and genre information; acquiring image quality information corresponding to the genre information; Detecting that the genre information has been changed; Detecting a scene change in the video data; when a change in the genre information is detected, after the change is detected and the scene change is detected, control is performed so that the image quality of the video data is set based on image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information; If the scene change is not detected after a certain time has elapsed since the change in the genre information was detected, control for setting the image quality of the video data is started. A program that causes a computer to perform a process.

12. Receive at least video data and genre information; acquiring image quality information corresponding to the genre information; Detecting that the genre information has been changed; Detecting a scene change in the video data; when a change in the genre information is detected, after the change is detected and the scene change is detected, control is performed so that the image quality of the video data is set based on image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information; performing a process of gradually changing image quality information corresponding to the image feature amount of the scene of the video data at the time when the scene change is detected toward image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information; If the scene change is not detected after a certain time has elapsed since the change in the genre information was detected, the gradual change process is started. A program that causes a computer to perform a process.

13. Receive at least video data and genre information; acquiring image quality information corresponding to the genre information; Detecting that the genre information has been changed; Detecting a scene change in the video data; when a change in the genre information is detected, after the change is detected and the scene change is detected, control is performed so that the image quality of the video data is set based on image quality information corresponding to the changed genre information; Controlling whether to set the image quality of the video data based on the program guide data acquired by the display device; If the program guide data indicates that the time when the scene change is detected after the genre information is changed is before a program change, control is performed so that the image quality of the video data is set at the time when the program change occurs. A program that causes a computer to perform a process.

Images