Thumbnail Image Display During Video Playback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image recording and reproducing systems, such as hard disk recorders, require users to interrupt the playback of moving images to search for a desired scene, which is time-consuming and inconvenient, especially when the desired scene is near the currently displayed scene.
Innovation Solution
An image processing method and apparatus that displays reduced images in a temporal progression with the moving images, allowing users to search for desired scenes without interrupting playback by generating and updating thumbnail images based on the image progression, which can be displayed on the same screen as the moving images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If thumbnail images are displayed to enable scene search, then search functionality is provided, but playback must be interrupted which increases search time and reduces ease of operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the thumbnail image display area and the moving image display area into a single screen, allowing both search functionality and playback to occur simultaneously without interruption. The thumbnail images are displayed in a separate region while the main moving image is displayed in another region, enabling users to search for scenes without leaving the playback state.
Solution Approach 2:
The system preliminarily generates and displays thumbnail images at predetermined time intervals during playback, so that when users want to search for a scene, the relevant thumbnails are already available for immediate selection without requiring playback interruption or additional loading time.
2Productivity
If thumbnail images are displayed on the same screen as moving images, then search can be performed without interrupting playback, but screen space for thumbnails is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The display screen is segmented into multiple regions: a first display area for showing moving images and a second display area for showing thumbnail images. This segmentation allows both types of content to be displayed simultaneously without interfering with each other, maintaining adequate space for thumbnails while enabling seamless search during playback.
3Measurement precision
If multiple reduced images are displayed to show temporal relation, then scene search accuracy is improved, but display complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent arranges multiple thumbnail images in a temporal sequence dimension, displaying them in order from past to future relative to the current playback position. This dimensional arrangement allows users to easily perceive the temporal relationships between scenes without adding visual complexity, as the time progression is represented through the sequence order rather than complex spatial arrangements.
Data Source
AI summary
The moving images under reproduction are displayed in a main screen and a plurality of thumbnail images that serve as indexes by which to search for a desired scene are displayed. Moreover, the thus displayed thumbnail images are updated at a predetermined timing according as the moving images progress.