Recording method and video recording system

Abstract

This recording method for video data includes: a step of analyzing the video data to determine additional information of the video data and associating the additional information with the video data as metadata; a step of receiving a change of the additional information; a step of updating the metadata in accordance with the change of the additional information; a step of selecting a recording area for recording the video data among a plurality of storages on the basis of the updated metadata; and a step of recording the video data in the selected storage.

Description

Recording method and video recording system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a recording method for recording video data in a predetermined recording area, and a video recording system.

[0002] A system is known that inputs video data output by a video output device such as a camera and records the video data in storage. The video data recorded in the storage is used, for example, for future playback or video editing.

[0003] It is also known to record data such as video data in multiple storage devices or in multiple storage areas formed in a single storage device. In this system, video data is selected and recorded in one of multiple storage devices or multiple storage areas. For example, when the total rate of data collected in an IoT system exceeds the throughput parameters of the network infrastructure, the amount of data collected is reduced (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Special Publication No. 2020-530159

[0005] As described above, video data recorded in a video recording system is used for future playback and video editing. Among the video data, there is important video data that is frequently played back and edited, and there is video data that is processed differently. In a system that includes multiple storage devices and / or multiple recording areas, it is desirable to record such video data in the appropriate storage device and / or recording area.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to record video data in an appropriate recording area when the video data is recorded in a plurality of recording areas with different performance.

[0007] A video data recording method according to the present disclosure is a method for recording video data in a plurality of recording areas, and includes the following steps.

[0008] a) acquiring additional information of the video data based on the video data and associating the additional information with the video data as metadata, b) accepting changes to the additional information, c) updating the metadata in accordance with the changes to the additional information, d) selecting, based on the updated metadata, a recording area from a plurality of recording areas into which the video data will be recorded, and e) recording the video data in the selected recording area.

[0009] The video recording system of the present disclosure comprises a plurality of recording areas; an information processing device that processes information related to the video data; and a storage control device that is connected to the plurality of recording areas and controls the recording of the video data in the plurality of recording areas, wherein the information processing device acquires additional information of the video data based on the video data, associates the additional information with the video data as metadata, accepts changes to the additional information, and updates the metadata in accordance with the changes to the additional information, and the storage control device selects a recording area from the plurality of recording areas in which to record the video data based on the updated metadata, and records the video data in the selected recording area.

[0010] In a video data recording method according to the present disclosure, additional information for the video data is acquired based on the video data, and the acquired additional information is associated with the video data as metadata. For example, since there is a possibility that the additional information acquired based on the video data may contain an error and / or the additional information may be changed later, the recording method according to the present disclosure makes the additional information changeable and updates the metadata associated with the video data according to the changed additional information. Then, a recording area for recording the video data is selected based on the updated metadata, and the video data is recorded in the selected recording area. This prevents the video data from being recorded in an inappropriate recording area due to an error in the additional information based on the video data. Furthermore, even if the additional information is changed later, the video data can be moved to an appropriate recording area. In other words, the video data can be recorded in a more appropriate recording area.

[0011] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of video data. FIG. 1B is a diagram showing another example of the data structure of video data. FIG. 1C is a diagram showing yet another example of the data structure of video data. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a video recording system. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an importance table. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a storage control device. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing device in a video data recording operation of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the storage control device in a video data recording operation of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing signal transmission and reception in a video data recording operation of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of setting of the importance table. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a storage selection table. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a changed importance table. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device in a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a playlist. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing device in a video data recording operation of the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the storage control device in a video data recording operation of the second embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing signal transmission and reception in a video data recording operation of the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of playlist generation. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a storage selection table. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a playlist after a change. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device of the third embodiment. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the configuration of a storage control device of the third embodiment. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a processing content table. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a storage function list. FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the operation of an information processing device in a video data recording operation of the third embodiment. FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the operation of a storage control device in a video data recording operation of the third embodiment. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing signal transmission and reception in a video data recording operation of the third embodiment. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of setting of the processing content table. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of a storage selection table. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of a processing content table T4 after a change.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed description of already well-known matters or redundant description of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Note that the inventors provide the accompanying drawings and the following description to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and do not intend for them to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0013] In this disclosure, "video data" refers to data including video data, audio data, and metadata, data including only video data, and data including still image data.

[0014] [1. First Embodiment] [1-1. Video Recording System] A video recording system 100 according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The video recording system 100 is a system for recording video data input from a video output device 2 (described later) in one of a plurality of storage devices. The video data recorded in the storage device is used, for example, for future playback and editing. Editing video data includes, for example, generating new video data by inserting a specific portion of other video data into video data.

[0015] Video data recorded in the video recording system 100 has, for example, a data structure (directory structure) as shown in FIG. 1A. FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of video data. The video data has a clip directory. The clip directory has a video data directory and a metadata directory. Video files of the video data (e.g., video file 0, video file 1, ...) are recorded in the video data directory. Furthermore, metadata (e.g., importance, etc.) is recorded in the metadata directory.

[0016] A video file is a data file displayed as a video. Metadata is data that records various information related to video data. The metadata can record information about which video data the metadata belongs to (e.g., identification information for the video data), the importance of the video data, the frequency of access to the video data, and usage process information for the video data. Usage process information is, for example, information about at least one of recording, editing, transmission, and reuse of the video data. Furthermore, the metadata may include, for example, shooting parameters of the camera that generated the video data (information acquired by existing cameras, such as focal length, angle of view, F-number, gain, white balance, and time; angle information of the remote camera; rotation speed of the remote camera; depth information; position information such as GPS (Global Positioning System); ambient temperature; temperature of the camera body; information about the photographer; information indicating a group relationship with other cameras; the serial number of the camera used for shooting, etc.).

[0017] That is, the additional information of the video data, which will be described later, includes, for example, the importance of the video data, the frequency of access to the video data, information on the process of using the video data, and information on the shooting parameters of the camera that generated the video data.

[0018] Alternatively, video data may have a data structure as shown in Fig. 1B, which is a diagram showing another example of the data structure of video data. In the video data shown in Fig. 1B, video files are recorded in a clip directory, and metadata is recorded in a metadata directory under the clip directory.

[0019] Furthermore, the video data can have a data structure as shown in Fig. 1C, which is a diagram showing yet another example of the data structure of video data. In the video data shown in Fig. 1C, the video file and metadata are recorded in a clip directory.

[0020] The configuration of the video recording system 100 will be described below with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the video recording system 100. The video recording system 100 includes an information processing device 1, a storage control device 3, and first to third storages (plurality of storages) 5a to 5c.

[0021] The information processing device 1 is connected to a video output device 2. The video output device 2 is a device that acquires video and audio data, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs it to the outside. The video output device 2 is, for example, a video shooting device that includes a camera that shoots a predetermined video, a microphone that captures the audio of the predetermined video, etc. Alternatively, the video output device 2 may be a media server that records a large number of videos. The video output from the video output device 2 is, for example, high-quality video such as uncompressed 4K video. Note that, although only one video output device 2 is provided in the example shown in FIG. 1 , this is not limiting. The video recording system 100 may be connected to multiple video output devices 2.

[0022] The information processing device 1 performs various information processes on the video data input from the video output device 2. Specifically, for example, the information processing device 1 can convert the video data into compressed data, or can output the video data in uncompressed format to an external device. Note that if the external device connected to the information processing device 1 is a display device, the information processing device also functions as a playback device.

[0023] The information processing device 1 is connected to an operation device 4. The operation device 4 is a device for performing various operations related to video data. The operation device 4 has an input device 41 and a display device 43. The input device 41 is a device for performing various operations related to video data. The input device 41 is, for example, at least one of a keyboard, a mouse, an operation panel, etc. The display device 43 displays various information. The display device 43 is, for example, a display.

[0024] When a user requests modification of additional information of video data using the input device 41, the information processing device 1 transmits the video data, the additional information of which is to be modified, to the operation device 4, and causes the video data to be displayed on the display device 43. The user can modify the additional information of the video data using the input device 41 while referring to the video data displayed on the display device 43.

[0025] Furthermore, when a user makes a request to edit video data using the input device 41, the information processing device 1 transmits the video data to be edited to the operation device 4 and displays it on the display device 43. The user can edit the video data using the input device 41 while referring to the video data displayed on the display device 43.

[0026] The information processing device 1 performs various information processes related to video data. The information processing device 1 acquires additional information of the video data in the video recording system 100 based on the video data. Specifically, the information processing device 1 analyzes, for example, at least one of images and audio included in the video data, and acquires the importance of the video data as additional information based on the analysis results. The importance of the video data is high when the content of the video data is important, for example, when the video data includes a climax scene. On the other hand, the importance of the video data is low when the video data includes content that is not important. The information processing device 1 analyzes the video data using image recognition and audio recognition using artificial intelligence.

[0027] The information processing device 1 associates the importance of the video data obtained by analyzing the video data with the video data as metadata of the video data.

[0028] Furthermore, when the user modifies the additional information (importance) of the video data using the operation device 4, the information processing device 1 updates the metadata associated with the video data in accordance with the modification of the additional information (importance).

[0029] The information processing device 1 is connected to a storage control device 3. The information processing device 1 transmits video data input from the video output device 2, video data converted into a compressed format, edited video data, etc. to the storage control device 3 for recording in one of a plurality of storages 5a to 5c. The information processing device 1 also issues a command to the storage control device 3 to read specific video data from one of the plurality of storages 5a to 5c.

[0030] The storage control device 3 controls the reading of video data from one of the plurality of storages 5 a to 5 c and the recording of video data in one of the plurality of storages 5 a to 5 c. The storage control device 3 reads video data from one of the plurality of storages 5 a to 5 c in response to a command to be read from the information processing device 1.

[0031] The storage control device 3 records the video data received from the information processing device 1 in one of the plurality of storages 5a to 5c. Specifically, the storage control device 3 selects one of the plurality of storages 5a to 5c in which to record the video data based on metadata associated with the video data, and records the video data in the selected storage. More specifically, the storage control device 3 acquires additional information for the video data from the metadata associated with the video data, and determines in which of the plurality of storages 5a to 5c to record the video data based on the acquired additional information. The storage control device 3 records the video data in the storage determined to record the video data.

[0032] The plurality of storages 5a to 5c read out designated video data in accordance with a command from the storage control device 3. The plurality of storages 5a to 5c also record video data received from the storage control device 3 in accordance with a command from the storage control device 3. In the present disclosure, the plurality of storages 5a to 5c include a first storage 5a, a second storage 5b, and a third storage 5c.

[0033] The first storage 5a, the second storage 5b, and the third storage 5c each have different performance. Specifically, the first storage 5a is the fastest storage among the above storages. The first storage 5a is, for example, an enterprise-grade solid-state drive (SSD) such as a triple-level cell (TLC) type solid-state drive.

[0034] The second storage 5b is a storage that is slower than the first storage 5a but faster than the third storage 5c. Specifically, the second storage 5b is a relatively high-speed storage such as a quad-level cell (QLC) type solid-state drive or hard disk drive (HDD).

[0035] The third storage 5c is the slowest storage among the above storages, and may be, for example, an optical disk drive that writes data to an optical disk and reads data from an optical disk, or a magnetic tape drive that writes data to a magnetic tape and reads data from a magnetic tape.

[0036] The above-mentioned storages 5a to 5c with different performance levels are distinguished as tiers because they have different levels of performance, such as access speed. Furthermore, by recording video data in these storages 5a to 5c with different performance levels, it is possible to record appropriate video data according to the content of the additional information of the video data.

[0037] Specifically, the first storage 5a, which has the highest speed, can store, for example, video data to be recorded or played back in real time, and important and frequently accessed video data used for editing, etc. The second storage 5b can store, for example, video data that will not be used immediately but may be used in the future, such as for secondary use or reuse, and the third storage 5c can store, for example, video data that will not be used immediately but will be stored for a long period of time for archiving or other purposes.

[0038] If the storage control device 3 determines that the importance of the video data is high based on the contents of the metadata of the video data, it decides to record the video data in the first storage 5a. On the other hand, if the storage control device 3 determines that the importance of the video data is low, it decides whether to record the video data in the second storage 5b or the third storage 5c depending on the importance of the video data.

[0039] Although there is only one each of the first storage 5a, second storage 5b, and third storage 5c in FIG. 2, each of the first storage 5a, second storage 5b, and third storage 5c may include multiple storages.

[0040] [1-2. Information Processing Device] The configuration of the information processing device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage device 15, an interface 17, and a network interface 19.

[0041] The CPU 11 executes various processes in the information processing device 1. Specifically, the CPU 11 executes information processes such as video data compression, information processing related to video data editing, and video data analysis. The CPU 11 executes the above processes by executing instructions indicated in a program stored in the storage device 15. Note that some of the processes in the information processing device 1 may be realized by hardware implemented separately from the CPU 11 or by an external device. The CPU 11 generates commands for executing various processes.

[0042] The RAM 13 is a storage area that temporarily stores commands, video data, etc. generated by the CPU 11. The storage device 15 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a hard disk (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. The storage device 15 stores programs executed by the CPU 11, settings related to information processing executed by the information processing device 1, parameters used for the information processing, etc.

[0043] The storage device 15 stores an importance table T1 as shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the importance table T1. The importance table T1 is a table that stores the importance of video data. Specifically, the importance table T1 stores identification information of the video data (e.g., video number), a numerical value representing the importance of the video data, and the number of times the importance of the video data has been changed, in association with each other. The numerical value representing the importance is, for example, a numerical value ranging from 0 to 100, and the greater the importance, the greater the value.

[0044] The interface 17 connects the information processing device 1 to other devices. As shown in Fig. 3, the video output device 2 and the operation device 4 are connected to the interface 17. The interface 17 is an interface for connecting video-related devices such as interfaces conforming to the Serial Digital Interface (SDI) standard.

[0045] The network interface 19 connects the information processing device 1 to other devices via a network such as a wide area network (WAN) or a local area network (LAN). As shown in FIG. 3, the storage control device 3 is connected to the network interface 19.

[0046] The network interface 19 can directly transmit and receive data between the RAM 13 of the information processing device 1 and the RAM of another device (for example, the RAM 33 of the storage control device 3 shown in FIG. 5) using remote direct memory access (RDMA). This enables high-speed data transmission and reception between the information processing device 1 and another device. The network interface 19 is, for example, a Gigabit Ethernet (registered trademark) interface.

[0047] In the information processing device 1, the video output device 2 and the operation device 4 may be connected to the network interface 19 instead of the interface 17. In this case, for example, transmission according to the ST2110 standard of the SMPTE standardization organization may be used.

[0048] In the information processing device 1, the CPU 11, RAM 13, interface 17, and network interface 19 constitute a control unit of the information processing device 1. The storage device 15 constitutes a storage unit of the storage control device 3.

[0049] [1-3. Storage Control Device] The configuration of the storage control device 3 will be described using Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the storage control device 3. The storage control device 3 has a CPU 31, a RAM 33, a storage device 35, a first storage interface 37a to a third storage interface 37c, and a network interface 39.

[0050] The CPU 31 executes various processes in the storage control device 3. The CPU 31 acquires additional information from the metadata of the video data, determines in which of the plurality of storages 5a to 5c the video data will be recorded based on the acquired additional information, and executes a process of recording the video data in the determined storage. The CPU 31 executes commands indicated in a program stored in the storage device 35, thereby executing various processes in the storage control device 3. Note that part of the processes in the storage control device 3 may be realized by hardware implemented in the CPU 31.

[0051] The RAM 33 temporarily stores data, etc. The RAM 33 temporarily stores commands to the storage, data transmitted and received between the information processing device 1 and the storage, etc.

[0052] The storage device 35 is composed of a ROM, a hard disk (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. The storage device 35 stores programs executed by the CPU 31, settings related to information processing in the storage control device 3, parameters used for the information processing, etc. The storage device 35 also stores a recording location management table T2, which is a table that manages in which storage each piece of video data is recorded. Note that this table may also include address information of the storage in which the video data is recorded.

[0053] The first storage interface 37a connects the storage control device 3 and the first storage 5a. The first storage interface 37a connects the storage control device 3 and the first storage 5a via a direct transfer path. The first storage interface 37a is, for example, a PCIe interface that complies with the PCI Express standard of the PCI-SIG standard. This allows the storage control device 3 and the first storage 5a to send and receive data at high speed using a protocol dedicated to non-volatile memory (NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express)) using a PCI-Express bus.

[0054] In NVMe, the controller acquires data from the NAND memory using the NAND protocol, converts it to the PCIe protocol, and transfers it to the host. In contrast, with conventional SATA (Serial-ATA), the DMA controller that transfers data directly to the host converts data from the NAND memory to the SATA protocol, acquires it, and then converts the data to the PCIe protocol before transferring it to the host. In other words, NVMe processing directly converts from the NAND protocol to the PCIe protocol, resulting in fast data transfer processing speeds.

[0055] The second storage interface 37b connects the storage control device 3 and the second storage 5b. The second storage interface 37b is, for example, the PCIe interface or SATA (Serial-ATA) interface.

[0056] The third storage interface 37c connects the storage control device 3 and the third storage 5c. The third storage interface 37c is, for example, a SATA (Serial-ATA) interface or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface.

[0057] The network interface 39 connects the storage control device 3 to other devices via a network such as a WAN or LAN. As shown in FIG. 5, the information processing device 1 is connected to the network interface 39. The network interface 39 uses RDMA to directly transmit and receive data between the RAM 33 of the storage control device 3 and the RAM of another device (the RAM 13 of the information processing device 1). The network interface 39 also uses a protocol (NVMe-oF (NVMe over Fabric)) for communication via a network dedicated to solid state drives, enabling high-speed data transmission and reception with other devices. The network interface 39 is, for example, a Gigabit Ethernet (registered trademark) interface.

[0058] In the storage control device 3, the control unit of the storage control device 3 is configured by the CPU 31, RAM 33, first storage interface 37a to third storage interface 37c, and network interface 39. In addition, the memory unit of the storage control device 3 is configured by the memory device 35.

[0059] [1-4. Operation of the Video Recording System of the First Embodiment] [1-4-1. Overview] The operation of the video recording system 100 of the first embodiment will be described below. The video recording system 100 of the first embodiment determines which of the multiple storages 5a to 5c to record the video data to, based on the importance of the video data input from the video output device 2. In the first embodiment, the user can change the result of the importance determination, taking into consideration the possibility that there may be an error in the importance determination based on the analysis of the video data, or that the initially determined importance may be changed later, or both, and selects a storage device to record the video data to based on the changed importance.

[0060] [1-4-2. Video Data Recording Operation in First Embodiment] The video data recording operation in the first embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 6 to 8. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing device 1 in the video data recording operation. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the storage control device 3 in the video data recording operation. Figure 8 is a diagram showing signal transmission and reception in the video data recording operation.

[0061] When the video data is output from the video output device 2, the CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 receives the video data and records it in the RAM 13 or storage device 15 of the information processing device 1 (step S11 in FIG. 6, step S101 in FIG. 8).

[0062] Next, the CPU 11 analyzes the content of the received video data and determines the importance of the video data (step S12 in FIG. 6). The CPU 11 determines the importance of the content of the video data, for example, by performing at least one of image analysis (e.g., image recognition) and audio analysis (e.g., audio recognition) of the video data using artificial intelligence. For example, if the results of at least one of the image analysis and audio analysis indicate that the video data contains a climax scene, the CPU 11 determines that the importance of the video data is high. On the other hand, if the results of at least one of the image analysis and audio analysis indicate that the video data does not contain any scenes that are important in terms of content, the CPU 11 determines that the importance of the video data is low.

[0063] Thereafter, the CPU 11 associates the identification information (video number) of the video data for which the importance has been determined with a numerical value representing the determined importance, and stores them in the importance table T1. The CPU 11 also sets "0" as the number of changes to the importance of the video data in the importance table T1. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the settings in the importance table T1. For example, if the identification information of the video data for which the importance has been determined is "3," the CPU 11 stores "3" in the "video number" storage field, "40" in the "importance" storage field, and "0" in the "number of changes" storage field in the importance table T1, as shown in FIG.

[0064] Next, the CPU 11 associates the determined importance with the video data as metadata (step S13 in FIG. 6). Specifically, the CPU 11 associates a numerical value (e.g., "40") representing the importance as metadata with the video data of the corresponding identification information (e.g., video number "3"). More specifically, the CPU 11 records the determined importance as metadata in the metadata directory (in the case of the data structure of FIGS. 1A and 1B) or in the clip directory (in the case of the data structure of FIG. 1C).

[0065] After associating the importance with the video data as metadata, the CPU 11 transmits the video data associated with the metadata to the storage control device 3 (step S14 in FIG. 6, step S102 in FIG. 8).

[0066] When the storage control device 3 receives video data ("Yes" in step S21 of FIG. 7), the CPU 31 of the storage control device 3 selects a storage device from the plurality of storage devices 5a to 5c to record the video data based on the metadata associated with the received video data (step S22 of FIG. 7). Specifically, the storage device is selected as follows: First, the CPU 31 extracts a numerical value representing the importance of the video data from the metadata of the video data. Then, the CPU 31 determines the importance of the video data based on the magnitude of the extracted numerical value, and selects a storage device based on the determined importance.

[0067] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the storage selection table T11. Specifically, the CPU 31 refers to the storage selection table T11, which associates importance ranges as shown in Fig. 10 with identification information (e.g., storage number) of storages that record video data, determines whether the extracted importance value falls within any of the importance ranges in the storage selection table T11, and selects, as the storage that records the video data, the storage that is associated with the importance range that includes the extracted importance value.

[0068] For example, when the storage control device 3 receives the video data with the video number "3" (i.e., the video data to be recorded), the CPU 31 extracts "40" as the numerical value representing the importance. The CPU 31 refers to the storage selection table T11, determines that the importance "40" is within the numerical range of importance associated with "storage number 1" (30 or more and 70 or less), and selects the second storage 5b having the identification information of "storage number 1" as the storage for recording the video data to be recorded.

[0069] After selecting the storage device in which to record the video data, the CPU 31 records the video data in the storage device selected in step S22 (step S23 in FIG. 7 and step S103 in FIG. 8). For example, if the video data to be recorded is video data with video number "3," the CPU 31 records the video data to be recorded in the second storage device 5b selected in the above step. The CPU 31 also stores in the recording position management table T2 which storage device the video data was recorded in (in this example, the fact that it was recorded in the second storage device 5b).

[0070] In the video data recording operation of the first embodiment, the information processing device 1 determines whether a request to change the importance level has been received from the operation device 4 (step S15 in FIG. 6 , step S104 in FIG. 8 ). The request to change the importance level is made when the user performs a predetermined operation using the input device 41 of the operation device 4. The request to change the importance level includes, for example, identification information of the video data (referred to as target video data) whose importance level is to be changed. Note that in FIGS. 6 to 8 , the above-mentioned processes (step S15 in FIG. 6 , step S104 in FIG. 8 ) are described as being executed after steps S11 to S14 in FIG. 6 and steps S101 to S103 in FIG. 8 for the sake of convenience, but are not limited thereto, and the above-mentioned processes may be executed before steps S11 to S14 in FIG. 6 and steps S101 to S103 in FIG. 8 , or during the execution of these processes.

[0071] If a request to change the importance level has been made ("Yes" in step S15 of FIG. 6), the CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 transmits the importance level of the target video data and the target video data to the controller device 4 (step S16 of FIG. 6). Specifically, the following process is executed.

[0072] The CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 extracts the importance of the target video data from the importance table T1 and transmits the extracted importance to the operation device 4 (step S105 in FIG. 8 ). The CPU 11 also transmits a transmission request for the target video data to the storage control device 3 (step S106 in FIG. 8 ). The transmission request for the target video data includes, for example, identification information of the target video data (for example, a video number, etc.).

[0073] When the storage control device 3 receives a request to transmit the target video data ("Yes" in step S24 of FIG. 7), the CPU 31 of the storage control device 3 transmits the target video data to the information processing device 1 (step S25 of FIG. 7). Specifically, the CPU 31 refers to the recording location management table T2 to determine in which storage device the target video data is stored, and reads the target video data from that storage device (step S107 of FIG. 8). For example, if the target video data is video data with video number "3," this target video data is recorded in the second storage 5b, so the CPU 31 reads the video data with video number "3" from the second storage 5b as the target video data. The CPU 31 transmits the read target video data to the information processing device 1 (step S25 of FIG. 7, step S108 of FIG. 8).

[0074] The CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 that has received the target video data transmits the target video data to the operation device 4 (step S109 in FIG. 8).

[0075] The operation device 4 receives the target video data and the importance of the target video data, and displays the target video data and its importance on the display device 43. This allows the user of the operation device 4 to change the importance of the target video data using the input device 41 while viewing the actual target video data.

[0076] When an operation to change the importance level is received from the input device 41 of the operation device 4 (step S17 in FIG. 6 , step S110 in FIG. 8 ), the CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 updates the importance level associated with the identification information of the target video data in the importance level table T1 to the changed importance level. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the changed importance level table T1. For example, when the importance level of video data with video number "3" is changed from "40" to "100," as shown in FIG. 11 , the importance level associated with video number "3" in the importance level table T1 is changed to "100." The CPU 11 also increases the number of changes associated with video number "3" in the importance level table T1 by "1."

[0077] Thereafter, the CPU 11 updates the metadata of the target video data (step S18 in FIG. 6). Specifically, the CPU 11 extracts the changed importance associated with the target video data from the importance table T1, and associates the extracted importance with the target video data as updated metadata (referred to as "updated metadata") (recording the updated metadata in the metadata directory or clip directory).

[0078] After changing the importance of a certain target video data and updating the metadata, the CPU 11 determines whether or not to end the importance change (step S19 in FIG. 6). If the importance change is to be continued, that is, if the importance of other video data is to be changed ("No" in step S19 in FIG. 6), the CPU 11 executes the above-described importance change operation (i.e., steps S16 to S18 in FIG. 6, steps S24 to S26 in FIG. 7, and steps S105 to S110 in FIG. 8) again for the other video data.

[0079] On the other hand, if an operation to end the importance change is performed on the operation device 4 and it is determined that the importance change is to be ended ("Yes" in step S19 of Figure 6), the CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 transmits the updated metadata to the storage control device 3 (step S20 of Figure 6, step S111 of Figure 8).

[0080] When the updated metadata is received ("Yes" in step S26 of FIG. 7), the CPU 31 of the storage control device 3 selects a storage device for recording the target video data from the plurality of storage devices 5a to 5c based on the received updated metadata (step S27 of FIG. 7). Specifically, the storage device is selected as follows: First, the CPU 31 extracts a numerical value representing the importance from the metadata. Then, the CPU 31 determines the importance of the target video data based on the magnitude of the extracted numerical value, and selects a storage device according to the determined importance.

[0081] For example, when the storage control device 3 receives target video data with video number "3," the CPU 31 extracts "100" as the numerical value representing the importance. The CPU 31 refers to the storage selection table T11, determines that the importance level "100" is within the numerical range of importance associated with "storage number 0" (greater than 70), and selects the first storage 5a having the identification number "storage number 0" as the storage for recording the target video data.

[0082] After selecting the storage device for recording the target video data, the CPU 31 records the video data in the storage device selected in step S28 (step S28 in FIG. 7, steps S112 to S113 in FIG. 8). For example, if the target video data is video data with video number "3," the CPU 31 reads the target video data from the second storage device 5b (step S112 in FIG. 8), and records the target video data in the first storage device 5a selected in step S28 (step S113 in FIG. 8).

[0083] In this way, for example, for video data whose importance was determined to be "40" due to an erroneous judgment in the analysis of the video data, the importance can be changed to the correct one (for example, importance "100"), and the video data that was recorded in the inappropriate second storage 5b due to an erroneous judgment of importance can be moved to the appropriate first storage 5a where video data of high importance is recorded. Also, for example, if the importance of video data was initially set to "40" but the importance of the video data needs to be changed to a higher one later (for example, importance "100"), the video data can be moved from the second storage 5b to the more appropriate first storage 5a.

[0084] [2. Second Embodiment] [2-1. Overview] In the first embodiment described above, the storage device in which to record video data among the plurality of storages 5a to 5c was determined based on the importance of the video data. That is, the first embodiment was an example in which the additional information, which is the criterion for determining the recording location of video data, was the importance. However, the additional information, which is the criterion for determining the recording location of video data, is not limited to the importance of the video data. In the second embodiment described below, the additional information is a playlist T3, which will be described later with reference to Figures 12 and 13. The playlist T3 is a table that lists video portions of the video data output from the video output device 2 that have a high probability of being used for playback, etc.

[0085] [2-2. Video Recording System of Second Embodiment] The configuration of the video recording system of the second embodiment will be described below. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of the information processing device 1 of the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 12, the video recording system of the second embodiment differs from the video recording system 100 of the first embodiment in that the playlist T3 is recorded in the storage device 15 of the information processing device 1. Other configurations are the same as those of the video recording system 100 of the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

[0086] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a playlist T3. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 13, the playlist T3 stored in the storage device 15 is a table that stores identification information (e.g., video number) of each video portion, the start frame number of that video portion in the entire video data, and the length of that video portion (e.g., the number of frames that the video portion has), in association with each other.

[0087] [2-3. Operation of the Video Recording System of the Second Embodiment] [2-3-1. Overview] The operation of the video recording system 100 of the second embodiment will be described below. The video recording system 100 of the second embodiment determines which video portions of the video data to record in which of the multiple storages 5a to 5c, based on a playlist generated for the video data input from the video output device 2. As will be described later, when generating the playlist T3, the video data is analyzed to determine which video portions of the video data are most likely to be usable.

[0088] In the second embodiment, taking into consideration at least one of the possibility that there may be an error in determining the video portions with the highest usability through analysis of the video data and the possibility that the content of the playlist that was initially generated may be changed later, the content of playlist T3 can be changed by the user, and storage for recording the video data is selected based on the content of the changed playlist T3.

[0089] 2-3-2. Video Data Recording Operation of Second Embodiment The video data recording operation of the second embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figs. 14 to 16. Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing device 1 in the video data recording operation. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the storage control device 3 in the video data recording operation. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing signal transmission and reception in the video data recording operation.

[0090] When the video data is output from the video output device 2, the CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 receives the video data and records it in the RAM 13 or storage device 15 of the information processing device 1 (step S31 in FIG. 14, step S201 in FIG. 16).

[0091] Next, the CPU 11 generates proxy video data from the received video data and transmits it to the storage control device 3 (step S32 in FIG. 14). As will be described later, when the user changes the playlist T3, the proxy video data is displayed on the display device 43 of the operation device 4 and viewed by the user. Therefore, the proxy video data does not need to be of as high quality as the original video data, as long as the user can view it and understand its contents. Furthermore, it is preferable to keep the storage capacity occupied by the proxy video data small.

[0092] Therefore, the CPU 11 generates proxy video data of lower quality and smaller data volume than the video data, for example, by using at least one of the following methods: reducing the image quality of each frame of the video data; and compressing the video data in a more highly compressed format.

[0093] After generating the proxy video data as described above, the CPU 11 associates metadata indicating that the proxy video data is proxy video data with the generated proxy video data, and then transmits the proxy video data with the associated metadata to the storage control device 3 (step S202 in FIG. 16 ).

[0094] The CPU 31 of the storage control device 3 extracts metadata from the received data and, if it determines that the received data is proxy video data based on the metadata ("Yes" in step S41 of Figure 15), the CPU 31 records the received proxy video data in the first storage 5a, which has a high data transfer speed (step S42 of Figure 15, step S203 of Figure 16).

[0095] As described above, by recording the proxy video data in the storage, the proxy video data can be read from the storage and viewed when necessary. Furthermore, by recording the proxy video data in the first storage 5a, which has a high data transfer speed, the proxy video data can be transmitted to the controller device 4 in a short time. As a result, the proxy video data can be viewed on the controller device 4 without delay, allowing the user to efficiently perform changes to the playlist T3.

[0096] Furthermore, the CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 analyzes the received video data and generates a playlist T3 (step S33 in FIG. 14). Specifically, the playlist T3 is generated as follows.

[0097] First, the CPU 11 determines the content of the video data by, for example, performing image analysis and / or audio analysis of the video data using artificial intelligence, and based on the results of this determination, extracts a video portion (referred to as a first video portion) that is likely to be used for playback, etc. For example, the CPU 11 can extract a climax scene from the video data as the first video portion. On the other hand, the CPU 11 can extract a portion of the video data that does not include an important scene in terms of content as a video portion (referred to as a second video portion) that is not likely to be used.

[0098] Next, the CPU 11 associates and stores the identification information (e.g., video number) of the extracted first video portion with the start frame number of the first video portion and the length of the first video portion (e.g., the number of frames), and generates a playlist T3. The CPU 11 also sets "0" as the number of changes to the content of the extracted first video portion in the playlist T3.

[0099] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of how a playlist T3 is generated. For example, if four first video portions (first video portions with video numbers "0" to "3") are extracted from video data, a playlist T3 like that shown in Fig. 17 is generated.

[0100] Next, the CPU 11 associates metadata with the video data for which playlist T3 has been generated, and transmits the playlist T3 to the storage control device 3 (step S34 in FIG. 14). The metadata to be associated with this video data is generated based on the contents of playlist T3 (i.e., the identification information, start frame number, and length (number of frames) of each first video portion) of the playlist T3. Specifically, for example, the identification information of each first video portion, the start frame number of the first video portion, and the length of the first video portion are associated with each other and stored in the metadata.

[0101] After associating the metadata generated from the playlist T3 with the video data, the CPU 11 transmits the video data associated with the metadata to the storage control device 3 (step S204 in FIG. 16).

[0102] When the storage control device 3 receives the video data ("Yes" in step S43 of FIG. 15), the CPU 31 of the storage control device 3 selects a storage from the plurality of storages 5a to 5c in which to record the video portion of the video data, based on the metadata associated with the received video data, and records the selected storage (step S44 of FIG. 15). Specifically, the video portion of the video data is recorded in the storage as follows.

[0103] Fig. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the storage selection table T12. The CPU 31 refers to the storage selection table T12, which associates the conditions for recording to storage (whether or not the video data is included in the playlist) with the identification information (for example, the storage number) of the storage that records the video data, as shown in Fig. 18, and selects the storage that will record the video data based on whether or not the video data is included in the playlist.

[0104] First, the CPU 31 extracts information about the first video portion listed in playlist T3 from the metadata of the video data (i.e., the identification information of the first video portion, the starting frame number of the first video portion, and the length of the first video portion). Then, based on the extracted information, the CPU 31 extracts the corresponding portion of the video data as the first video portion. Next, the CPU 31 references the storage selection table T12 and determines that the extracted first video portion is included in playlist T3, and records this first video portion in the first storage 5a identified by "storage number 0" (step S205 in FIG. 16).

[0105] On the other hand, the portion of the video data that is not listed in the playlist T3 (i.e., the second video portion) is determined to be recorded in the second storage 5b based on the storage selection table T12 (step S206 in FIG. 16).

[0106] In this way, by recording the first video portion of the video data that is more likely to be usable in the high-speed first storage 5a, the first video portion to be used for playback, etc. can be read out from the first storage 5a at high speed and without stress. On the other hand, by recording the second video portion that is less likely to be usable in the second storage 5b, the second video portion can be recorded in storage taking into consideration at least one of future use and the possibility of moving it to the first storage 5a due to a change in playlist T3, which will be described later.

[0107] In the video data recording operation of the second embodiment, the information processing device 1 determines whether or not a request to change the playlist T3 has been received from the operation device 4 (step S35 in FIG. 14 , step S207 in FIG. 16 ). A request to change the playlist T3 is made when the user performs a predetermined operation using the input device 41 of the operation device 4. Note that in FIGS. 14 to 16 , the above-mentioned processing (step S35 in FIG. 14 , step S207 in FIG. 16 ) is described as being executed after steps S31 to S34 in FIG. 14 and steps S201 to S206 in FIG. 16 for the sake of convenience, but this is not limiting, and the above-mentioned processing may be executed before steps S31 to S34 in FIG. 14 and steps S201 to S206 in FIG. 16 or during the execution of these processing.

[0108] If a request to change the playlist T3 has been made ("Yes" in step S35 of FIG. 14), the CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 transmits the playlist T3 stored in the storage device 15 and the proxy video data to the operation device 4 (step S36 of FIG. 14). Specifically, the following process is executed.

[0109] The CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 transmits the playlist T3 stored in the storage device 15 to the operation device 4 (step S208 in FIG. 16 ). The CPU 11 also transmits a request to transmit proxy video data to the storage control device 3 (step S209 in FIG. 16 ).

[0110] When the storage control device 3 receives the request to transmit the proxy video data ("Yes" in step S45 of FIG. 15), the CPU 31 of the storage control device 3 reads the proxy video data from the first storage 5a (step S210 of FIG. 16) and transmits the read proxy video data to the information processing device 1 (step S46 of FIG. 15, step S211 of FIG. 16). The CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 that has received the proxy video data transmits the proxy video data to the operation device 4 (step S212 of FIG. 16).

[0111] Upon receiving the playlist T3 and the proxy video data, the operation device 4 displays the proxy video data and the playlist T3 (the range of the first video portion listed in the playlist T3) on the display device 43. This allows the user of the operation device 4 to change the playlist T3 using the input device 41 while viewing the proxy video data.

[0112] When an operation to change the playlist T3 is accepted from the input device 41 of the operation device 4, the CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 changes the playlist T3 in accordance with the operation of the input device 41 (step S37 in FIG. 14, step S213 in FIG. 16).

[0113] Figure 19 shows an example of a playlist T3 after modification. For example, suppose that the start frame number of the first video portion of video number "2" in playlist T3 shown in Figure 17 is modified from "2000" to "1800" and the length of the first video portion is modified from "210" to "500" as shown in Figure 19. That is, suppose that the portion of the original video data with frame numbers "1800" to "1999" and the portion of frame numbers "2211" to "2300" are added to the first video portion of video number "2." Also, suppose that the start frame number of the first video portion of video number "3" is modified from "2500" to "2550" and the length of the first video portion is modified from "300" to "200." That is, suppose that the portion of the original video data with frame numbers "2500" to "2549" and the portion of frame numbers "2751" to "2800" are deleted from the first video portion of video number "3."

[0114] Furthermore, the CPU 11 increments by "1" the number of changes associated with the video numbers "2" and "3" in the playlist T3.

[0115] The CPU 11 determines whether or not to end the change of the playlist T3 (step S38 in FIG. 14). If the change of the playlist T3 is to be continued ("No" in step S38 in FIG. 14), the change operation of the playlist T3 described above (i.e., step S37 in FIG. 14) is executed again.

[0116] On the other hand, if an operation to end the change to the playlist T3 is performed on the operating device 4 and it is determined that the change to the playlist T3 is to be ended ("Yes" in step S38 of Figure 14), the CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 updates the metadata associated with the video data in step S34 above based on the changed playlist T3 (step S39 of Figure 14).

[0117] Specifically, the CPU 11 updates the metadata by changing the identification information of each first video portion, the starting frame number of that first video portion, and the length of that first video portion stored in the current metadata so that they match the identification information, starting frame number, and length of each first video portion in the changed playlist T3.

[0118] After updating the metadata, the CPU 11 transmits the updated metadata to the storage control device 3 (step S40 in FIG. 14, step S214 in FIG. 16).

[0119] When the updated metadata is received ("Yes" in step S47 of FIG. 15), the CPU 31 of the storage control device 3 selects a storage device from the plurality of storage devices 5a to 5c in which to record the new first video portion and second video portion based on the received updated metadata (step S48 of FIG. 15), and records the new first video portion and second video portion in the selected storage device (step S49 of FIG. 15). Specifically, each video portion is recorded in a storage device as follows.

[0120] First, CPU 31 extracts information about the first video portions listed in the updated playlist T3 (i.e., the identification information of the first video portions, the start frame number of the first video portions, and the length of the first video portions) from the updated metadata. Then, based on the extracted information, CPU 31 adds or deletes necessary frames from each first video portion (steps S215 to S218 in FIG. 16).

[0121] For example, if playlist T3 is changed as shown in Figure 19, CPU 31 reads the portion of frame numbers "1800" to "1999" and the portion of frame numbers "2211" to "2300" from the second video portion stored in second storage 5b (step S216 in Figure 16), and, with reference to storage selection table T12, determines to record these portions to be added to the first video portion in first storage 5a. CPU 31 adds these portions to the first video portion with video number "2" recorded in first storage 5a (step S217 in Figure 16).

[0122] Furthermore, the CPU 31 deletes the portions of the original video data with frame numbers 2500 to 2549 and the portions with frame numbers 2751 to 2800 from the first video portion with video number 3 (step S215 in FIG. 16), and, with reference to the storage selection table T12, determines to record the portions deleted from the first video portion in the second storage 5b. The CPU 31 records the deleted portions as the second video portion in the second storage 5b (step S218 in FIG. 16).

[0123] In this way, for example, if an inappropriate playlist T3 is generated due to a misjudgment in the analysis of video data, the playlist T3 can be changed to an appropriate one that suits the usage status of the video data, and based on that, the video data can be appropriately classified into a first video part and a second video part, and these video parts can be recorded in appropriate storage.

[0124] [3. Third Embodiment] [3-1. Overview] In the first embodiment described above, the storage in which to record video data among the plurality of storages 5a to 5c was determined based on the importance of the video data. In the second embodiment, the video data was classified into a first video portion and a second video portion based on usability, and the first video portion was recorded in the high-speed first storage 5a, and the second video portion was recorded in the second storage 5b. In other words, in the first embodiment, the additional information that is the criterion for determining the recording location of video data was the importance, while in the second embodiment, the additional information was the playlist T3.

[0125] The additional information that is the criterion for determining the recording location of video data is not limited to the importance of the video data and the playlist T3. In the third embodiment described below, the additional information is the processing content required for the video data.

[0126] [3-2. Video Recording System of Third Embodiment] The configuration of the video recording system of the third embodiment will be described below. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the configuration of the information processing device 1 of the third embodiment. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the configuration of the storage control device 3 of the third embodiment. The video recording system of the third embodiment differs from the video recording system 100 of the other embodiments in that the first storage 5a to the third storage 5c are each capable of performing different processes on video data, that a processing content table T4 is stored in the storage device 15 of the information processing device 1 as shown in FIG. 20, and that a storage function list T5 is stored in the storage device 35 of the storage control device 3 as shown in FIG. 21. The other configurations are the same as those of the video recording system 100 of the other embodiments, so description thereof will be omitted here.

[0127] 22 is a diagram showing an example of the processing content table T4. Specifically, the processing content table T4 stored in the storage device 15 of the information processing device 1 is a table that stores identification information (e.g., video number) of each video data item and the processing content requested for that video data item in association with each other, as shown in FIG.

[0128] In the processing content table T4 shown in Fig. 22, the processing content "slow" means playing back video data in slow motion. The processing content "super-resolution" means playing back video data in ultra-high image quality. The processing content "loud" means playing back video data at a loud volume. The processing content for video data is not limited to these, and other processing content can also be defined in the processing content table T4.

[0129] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a storage function list T5. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 23 , the storage function list T5 stored in the storage device 35 of the storage control device 3 is a table that associates and stores identification information (e.g., storage identification number) of each storage with functions executable by that storage. In the storage function list T5 shown in FIG. 23 , the first storage 5a (identification number "0") indicates that video data recorded in that storage can be played in slow motion, etc. The second storage 5b (identification number "1") indicates that video data recorded in that storage can be played in ultra-high definition, etc. The third storage 5c (identification number "2") indicates that video data recorded in that storage can be played at a loud volume, etc. The functions of the multiple storages are not limited to those described above, and other functions may also be executable. In this case, a storage for executing another function may be added to the video recording system, and the storage and its function may be additionally associated with the storage in the storage function list T5.

[0130] [3-3. Operation of the Video Recording System of the Third Embodiment] [3-3-1. Overview] The operation of the video recording system of the third embodiment will be described below. In the video recording system of the third embodiment, the multiple storages 5a to 5c are each capable of executing different processes, and which of the multiple storages 5a to 5c to record the video data in is determined based on the processing content requested for the video data input from the video output device 2. In the third embodiment, taking into consideration at least one of the possibility that there may be an error in the determination based on the analysis of the video data and the possibility that the initially determined processing content may be changed later, the user can change the determination result of the processing content, and a storage device for recording the video data is selected based on the changed processing content.

[0131] 24 to 26, the video data recording operation in the first embodiment will be described in detail below. FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing device 1 in the video data recording operation. FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the operation of the storage control device 3 in the video data recording operation. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the transmission and reception of signals in the video data recording operation.

[0132] When the video data is output from the video output device 2, the CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 receives the video data and records it in the RAM 13 or storage device 15 of the information processing device 1 (step S51 in FIG. 24, step S301 in FIG. 26).

[0133] Next, the CPU 11 analyzes the received video data and determines the processing to be performed on the video data (step S52 in FIG. 24). The CPU 11 determines the processing to be performed on the video data by, for example, performing image analysis and / or audio analysis of the video data using artificial intelligence.

[0134] Thereafter, the CPU 11 associates the identification information (video number) of the video data for which the processing content has been determined with the determined processing content in the processing content table T4. The CPU 11 also sets "0" as the number of times the processing content of the video data has been changed in the processing content table T4.

[0135] 27 is a diagram showing an example of settings in the processing content table T4. For example, if the identification information of the video data for which processing content has been determined is "3" and a request is made to play the video data at a loud volume, the CPU 11 stores "3" in the "video number" storage field, "loud" in the "processing content" storage field, and "0" in the "number of changes" storage field in the processing content table T4, as shown in FIG.

[0136] Next, the CPU 11 associates the determined processing content with the video data as metadata (step S53 in FIG. 24). Specifically, the CPU 11 associates the processing content (e.g., "loud") as metadata with the video data of the corresponding identification information (e.g., video number "3").

[0137] After associating the processing content with the video data as metadata, the CPU 11 transmits the video data associated with the metadata to the storage control device 3 (step S54 in FIG. 24, step S302 in FIG. 26).

[0138] When the storage control device 3 receives the video data ("Yes" in step S61 of FIG. 25), the CPU 31 of the storage control device 3 selects a storage device from the plurality of storage devices 5a to 5c in which to record the video data based on the metadata associated with the received video data, and records the video data in the selected storage device (step S62 of FIG. 25, step S303 of FIG. 26). Specifically, the storage device is selected as follows.

[0139] Fig. 28 is a diagram showing an example of the storage selection table T13. The CPU 31 references the storage selection table T13, which associates the processing content as shown in Fig. 28 with the identification information (e.g., storage number) of the storage that records the video data, and selects the storage that records the video data based on which processing is to be performed on the video data.

[0140] First, the CPU 31 extracts the processing content from the metadata of the video data, and then refers to the storage selection table T13 to select a storage device according to the extracted processing content.

[0141] For example, when the storage control device 3 receives the video data with the video number "3," the CPU 31 extracts "loud" as the processing content and determines to play the video data at a loud volume, etc. The CPU 31 refers to the storage selection table T13 and selects the third storage 5c having the identification information of "storage number 2" as the storage for recording the video data.

[0142] After selecting the storage device for recording the video data, the CPU 31 records the video data in the selected storage device (step S303 in FIG. 26). For example, the video data with video number "3" that has been determined to be played back at a loud volume is recorded in the third storage device 5c.

[0143] In the video data recording operation of the third embodiment, the information processing device 1 determines whether a request for a change in processing content has been received from the operation device 4 (step S55 in FIG. 24 , step S304 in FIG. 26 ). The request for a change in processing content is made when the user performs a predetermined operation using the input device 41 of the operation device 4. The request for a change in processing content includes, for example, identification information of the video data for which the processing content is to be changed (referred to as target video data). Note that, for convenience of explanation, in FIGS. 24 to 26 , the above processing (step S55 in FIG. 24 , step S304 in FIG. 26 ) is described as being executed after steps S51 to S54 in FIG. 24 and steps S301 to S303 in FIG. 26 . However, this is not a limitation, and the above processing may be executed before steps S51 to S54 in FIG. 24 and steps S301 to S303 in FIG. 26 or during the execution of these processes.

[0144] If a request to change the processing content has been made ("Yes" in step S55 of FIG. 24), the CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 transmits the processing content of the target video data and the target video data to the controller device 4 (step S56 of FIG. 24). Specifically, the following processing is executed.

[0145] The CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 extracts the processing content of the target video data from the processing content table T4 and transmits the extracted processing content to the operation device 4 (step S305 in FIG. 26 ). The CPU 11 also transmits a transmission request for the target video data to the storage control device 3 (step S306 in FIG. 26 ). The transmission request for the target video data includes, for example, identification information of the target video data (for example, a video number, etc.).

[0146] When the storage control device 3 receives a request to transmit the target video data ("Yes" in step S64 of FIG. 25), the CPU 31 of the storage control device 3 transmits the target video data to the information processing device 1 (step S65 of FIG. 25). Specifically, the CPU 31 refers to the recording location management table T2 to determine in which storage the target video data is stored, and reads the target video data from that storage (step S307 of FIG. 26). For example, if the target video data is video data with video number "3," this target video data is recorded in the third storage 5c, so the CPU 31 reads the video data with video number "3" from the third storage 5c as the target video data. The CPU 31 transmits the read target video data to the information processing device 1 (step S308 of FIG. 26).

[0147] The CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 that has received the target video data transmits the target video data to the operation device 4 (step S309 in FIG. 26).

[0148] The operation device 4 receives the target video data and the processing content of the target video data, and displays the target video data and the processing content on the display device 43. This allows the user of the operation device 4 to change the processing content of the target video data using the input device 41 while viewing the actual target video data.

[0149] When an operation to change the processing content is received from the input device 41 of the operation device 4 (step S57 in Figure 24, step S310 in Figure 26), the CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 updates the processing content associated with the identification information of the target video data in the processing content table T4 to the changed processing content.

[0150] 29 is a diagram showing an example of the processing content table T4 after the change. For example, when the processing content of the video data with video number "3" is changed from "loud" to "slow," the processing content associated with video number "3" in the processing content table T4 is changed to "slow" as shown in FIG. 29. Furthermore, the CPU 11 increments the number of changes associated with video number "3" in the processing content table T4 by "1." For example, the number of changes is used for feedback to improve analysis accuracy.

[0151] Thereafter, the CPU 11 updates the metadata of the target video data (step S58 in FIG. 24). Specifically, the CPU 11 extracts the changed processing content associated with the identification information of the target video data from the processing content table T4, and associates the extracted processing content with the target video data as updated metadata (referred to as updated metadata).

[0152] After changing the processing content for a certain target video data and updating the metadata, the CPU 11 determines whether or not to end the processing content change (step S59 in FIG. 24). If the processing content change is to continue, that is, if the processing content of other video data is to be changed ("No" in step S59 in FIG. 24), the above-described processing content change operation (i.e., steps S56 to S58 in FIG. 24, steps S64 to S66 in FIG. 25, and steps S305 to S310 in FIG. 26) is executed again for the other video data.

[0153] On the other hand, if an operation to end the change in processing content is performed on the operation device 4 and it is determined that the change in processing content is to be ended ("Yes" in step S59 of FIG. 24), the CPU 11 of the information processing device 1 transmits the updated metadata to the storage control device 3 (step S60 of FIG. 24, step S311 of FIG. 26).

[0154] When the updated metadata is received ("Yes" in step S66 of FIG. 25), the CPU 31 of the storage control device 3 selects a storage device for recording the target video data from the plurality of storage devices 5a to 5c based on the received updated metadata (step S67 of FIG. 25). Specifically, the storage device is selected as follows.

[0155] The CPU 31 extracts the processing content from the metadata, determines the processing content required for the target video data from the extracted processing content, and refers to the storage selection table T13 to select storage according to the determined processing content.

[0156] For example, when the storage control device 3 receives target video data with video number "3," the CPU 31 extracts "slow" as the processing content and determines that the processing content requested for this target video data is slow motion playback, etc. The CPU 31 refers to the storage selection table T13 and selects the first storage 5a having the identification information of "storage number 0" as the storage for recording this target video data.

[0157] After selecting the storage device for recording the target video data, CPU 31 records the video data in the storage device selected in step S68 (step S68 in FIG. 25, steps S312 to S313 in FIG. 26). For example, if the target video data is video data with video number "3", CPU 31 reads the target video data from third storage 5c (step S312 in FIG. 26), and records the target video data in first storage 5a selected in step S67 (step S68 in FIG. 25, step S313 in FIG. 26).

[0158] In this way, for example, for video data whose processing content has been determined to be "loud" due to an erroneous judgment in the analysis of the video data, the processing content can be changed to the correct one (e.g., "slow"), and video data that has been recorded in the inappropriate third storage 5c due to an erroneous judgment of the processing content can be moved to the appropriate first storage 5a for slow motion playback, etc. Also, for example, if the processing content of the video data was initially set to "loud" but needs to be changed (e.g., to "slow"), the video data can be moved from the third storage 5c to the more appropriate first storage 5a.

[0159] [5. Other Embodiments] While several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. In particular, the multiple embodiments and modifications described in this specification can be combined as needed.

[0160] (A) The order and content of each process in the flowchart described above can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, the entities that execute each process (information processing device 1, storage control device 3, first storage 5a to third storage 5c) can also be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0161] (B) The first to third embodiments described above can be combined as appropriate. Alternatively, the user may switch between the first to third embodiments to be executable.

[0162] (C) At least one of the configuration and functions of the storage control device 3 described above may be included in the information processing device 1. That is, the information processing device 1 may have a storage interface for connecting multiple storages (first storage 5a to third storage 5c). Furthermore, the control unit of the information processing device 1 may also execute each function of the storage control device 3 (that is, the video data recording operation described above).

[0163] (D) The first storage interface 37a, the second storage interface 37b, and the third storage interface 37c may be formed by logically separating one physical interface. Furthermore, the connection between these storage interfaces and the storage may not be one-to-one, but may be via a switch using a network such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or Fiber Channel.

[0164] (E) In the above embodiment, the information processing device 1 analyzes the video data and acquires the additional information. However, this is not limited to this, and the storage control device 3 may analyze the video data and acquire the additional information.

[0165] (F) Proxy video data is generated only in the second embodiment. However, this is not limiting, and proxy video data may be generated in the first or third embodiment to change the additional information, and may be viewed on the operation device 4.

[0166] (G) In the first and second embodiments described above, the multiple storages 5a to 5c have different data transfer speeds, but this is not limited to this. The multiple storages 5a to 5c may also have different lifespans.

[0167] [11. Features of the Present Disclosure] (1) A video data recording method according to the present disclosure is a method for recording video data in a plurality of recording areas. The recording method includes the following steps:

[0168] a) acquiring additional information of the video data based on the video data and associating the additional information with the video data as metadata, b) accepting changes to the additional information, c) updating the metadata in accordance with the changes to the additional information, d) selecting, based on the updated metadata, a recording area from a plurality of recording areas into which the video data will be recorded, and e) recording the video data in the selected recording area.

[0169] In the above-described video data recording method, additional information for the video data is acquired based on the video data, and the acquired additional information is associated with the video data as metadata. For example, since there is a possibility that the additional information acquired based on the video data may contain an error and / or the additional information may be changed later, the recording method disclosed herein allows the additional information to be changed and updates the metadata associated with the video data according to the changed additional information. Then, a recording area for recording the video data is selected based on the updated metadata, and the video data is recorded in the selected recording area. This prevents the video data from being recorded in an inappropriate recording area due to an error in the additional information based on the video data. Furthermore, even if the additional information is changed later, the video data can be moved to an appropriate recording area. In other words, the video data can be recorded in a more appropriate recording area.

[0170] (2) The recording method of (1) above may further include the following steps.

[0171] f) a step of associating the additional information with the video data as metadata, and then a step of selecting a recording area from among a plurality of recording areas in which to record the video data based on the associated metadata, and g) a step of recording the video data in the recording area selected based on the associated metadata.

[0172] This allows the video data to be recorded in storage based on the content of the additional information.

[0173] (3) In the recording method of (1) or (2) above, the multiple recording areas may have different performance levels. In this case, the additional information may be the importance of the video data. Furthermore, the step of recording the video data may include a step of recording video data with high importance in a recording area with relatively high performance among the multiple recording areas. This allows the video data to be recorded in an appropriate storage device according to its importance.

[0174] (4) In any of the recording methods (1) to (3) above, the multiple recording areas may have different performance capabilities. In this case, the additional information may be a playlist that lists video portions of the video data that are likely to be usable. Furthermore, the step of recording the video data may include a step of recording the video portions listed in the playlist in a recording area with relatively high performance among the multiple recording areas. This allows the video portions of the video data to be recorded in appropriate storage depending on the usability of the video portions.

[0175] (5) In any of the recording methods (1) to (4) above, the multiple recording areas may each be capable of performing a different process on the video data. In this case, the additional information may be the process content required for the video data. Furthermore, the step of recording the video data may include the following steps:

[0176] h) selecting a recording area for recording the video data in accordance with the requested processing content, and i) recording the video data in the selected recording area.

[0177] This allows the video data to be recorded in an appropriate storage according to the processing content required for the video data.

[0178] (6) Any of the recording methods (1) to (5) above may include the following steps:

[0179] j) generating proxy video data to be viewed when changing the additional information by reducing the quality of the video data, and k) recording the proxy video data in one of a plurality of recording areas.

[0180] This allows the proxy video data viewed when the additional information is changed to be of a level that allows the user to view and understand the content when the additional information is changed, thereby reducing the storage capacity occupied by the information necessary for changing the additional information.

[0181] (7) In any of the recording methods (1) to (6) above, the video data may include, as metadata, information about the shooting parameters of the imaging device that generated the video data, thereby allowing more information about the video data to be associated with the video data.

[0182] (8) A video recording system according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of recording areas, an information processing device, and a storage control device. The information processing device processes information related to video data. The storage control device is connected to the plurality of recording areas and controls recording of the video data in the plurality of recording areas.

[0183] In this video recording system, the information processing device acquires additional information for the video data based on the video data, associates the additional information with the video data as metadata, accepts changes to the additional information, and updates the metadata in accordance with the changes to the additional information. The storage control device selects a recording area from multiple recording areas in which to record the video data based on the updated metadata, and records the video data in the selected recording area.

[0184] In the above video recording system, additional information is acquired based on video data and associated with the video data as metadata. For example, since there is a possibility that the additional information based on the video data may contain errors and / or the additional information may be changed later, the recording method disclosed herein allows the additional information to be changed and updates the metadata associated with the video data according to the changed additional information. Then, a recording area for recording the video data is selected based on the updated metadata, and the video data is recorded in the selected recording area. This prevents the video data from being recorded in an inappropriate recording area due to errors in the additional information based on the video data. Furthermore, even if the additional information is changed later, the video data can be moved to an appropriate recording area. In other words, the video data can be recorded in a more appropriate recording area.

[0185] (9) In the video recording system of (8), the multiple recording areas may have different data transfer rates. In this case, the recording area with the higher data transfer rate may be connected to the storage control device via a direct transfer path. This allows video data to be recorded at high speed in the recording area with the higher data transfer rate.

[0186] The present disclosure can be widely applied to a recording method for recording video data in a predetermined recording area and a video recording system.

[0187] 100: Video recording system 1: Information processing device 11: CPU 13: RAM 15: Storage device 17: Interface 19: Network interface 2: Video output device 3: Storage control device 31: CPU 33: RAM 35: Storage device 37a: First storage interface 37b: Second storage interface 37c: Third storage interface 39: Network interface 4: Operation device 41: Input device 43: Display device 5a: First storage 5b: Second storage 5c: Third storage T1: Importance table T2: Recording position management table T3: Playlist T4: Processing content table T5: Storage function list

Claims

1. A method for recording video data into a plurality of recording areas, comprising the steps of: acquiring additional information of the video data based on the video data, and associating the additional information with the video data as metadata; accepting changes to the additional information; updating the metadata in accordance with the changes to the additional information; selecting a recording area from the plurality of recording areas into which the video data is to be recorded based on the updated metadata; and recording the video data into the selected recording area.

2. The recording method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: after executing a step of associating the additional information with the video data as metadata, selecting a recording area from the plurality of recording areas in which to record the video data based on the associated metadata; and recording the video data in the recording area selected based on the associated metadata.

3. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the multiple recording areas each have different performance, the additional information is the importance of the video data, and the step of recording the video data includes a step of recording the video data having a high importance in a recording area having a relatively high performance among the multiple recording areas.

4. The recording method of claim 1, wherein the multiple recording areas each have a different performance, the additional information is a playlist that lists video parts of the video data that are more likely to be usable, and the step of recording the video data includes a step of recording the video parts listed in the playlist in a recording area with relatively higher performance among the multiple high-performance recording areas.

5. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of recording areas is capable of performing a different process on the video data, the additional information is processing content requested for the video data, and the step of recording the video data includes: a step of selecting a recording area in which to record the video data according to the processing content requested; and a step of recording the video data in the selected recording area.

6. The recording method according to claim 1, further comprising: a step of generating proxy video data to be viewed when changing the additional information by reducing the quality of the video data; and a step of recording the proxy video data in one of the plurality of recording areas.

7. A recording method according to claim 1, wherein the video data includes information on the shooting parameters of an image capturing device that generates the video data as metadata.

8. A video recording system comprising: a plurality of recording areas; an information processing device that processes information relating to video data; and a storage control device connected to the plurality of recording areas and controls the recording of the video data in the plurality of recording areas, wherein the information processing device obtains additional information of the video data based on the video data, associates the additional information with the video data as metadata, accepts changes to the additional information and updates the metadata in accordance with the changes to the additional information, and the storage control device selects a recording area from the plurality of recording areas in which to record the video data based on the updated metadata, and records the video data in the selected recording area.

9. The video recording system according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of recording areas each have a different data transfer speed, and a recording area among the plurality of recording areas having a relatively high data transfer speed is connected to the storage control device by a direct transfer path.

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