JP2008123320A - Recording/reproducing device and program therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording/reproducing device with a cursor capable of optionally selecting a plurality of objects including an object such as a desired thumbnail image from a list display screen with the first simple operation without increasing the number of keys and operation procedures, and to provide a program therefor. <P>SOLUTION: In the recording/reproducing device, an image area composed of a plurality of image frames associated with an object on an object section screen is set as a specified range of a variable power cursor. The specified range is an image area obtained by equally dividing the object selection screen by an optional integer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording / reproducing apparatus having a cursor capable of arbitrarily changing the size of a designated range and a program therefor, for example, from a whole image in which a large number of thumbnail images are displayed on a screen. The present invention relates to a recording / reproducing apparatus capable of designating a plurality of image areas at once with a cursor having a shape, and a program therefor.

  A conventional digital video recording / reproducing apparatus, for example, a DVD camera, records compressed data obtained by compressing a digital image such as a moving image or a still image, and a video at the start of recording the compressed data in association with the compressed data as thumbnail image data. At the time of playback operation, a list of recorded thumbnail image data is displayed, and by selecting the target thumbnail image from this list display, the digital image data such as the associated moving image or still image is searched, and the corresponding Editing such as reproduction and deletion of a moving image or a still image is performed (see Patent Document 1).

The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 selects a desired thumbnail image from a list in which a large number of thumbnail images are displayed by direct selection of numeric buttons on a remote controller.
In addition, as a method of selecting a desired thumbnail image from the thumbnail image list display screen, the cursor is placed on the desired thumbnail image with a mouse or a movement key, and reproduction is performed by clicking the mouse or pressing the enter key. Further, there is a type that uses a dedicated remote controller, operates a cursor movement button, moves the cursor to a desired thumbnail image, selects it, and presses the enter key.

In addition, when a plurality of images taken with a camera of a mobile phone are recorded on, for example, a memory stick and are read and displayed on a personal computer via a memory adapter and a card adapter, the images can be selected using a mouse. At this time, the cursor is moved onto the desired image with the mouse and clicked to specify.
JP 2005-12675 A

  In the case of the above-described conventional technique, the selection of a desired thumbnail image requires an operation procedure for moving the cursor and pressing the enter key and a key for an additional function such as the enter key. Also, when using a remote controller, there are operational problems such as excessive movement of the cursor due to the poor operability compared to keyboards and mice.

  In particular, in the case of Patent Document 1, the number of thumbnail images to be displayed in the list and the number of numeric buttons must be the same. If the number of images is large, the number of numeric buttons also increases. The shape becomes large and is not practical.

  Further, it is not possible to arbitrarily select and sequentially reproduce a plurality of continuous thumbnail images by simple key operations. In this regard, although there is a processing operation called a slide show that can continuously reproduce a plurality of images, it can be reproduced only in the order of image numbers, and it is not an easy-to-use aspect in which only an arbitrary image or a predetermined number is reproduced. .

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to select a plurality of targets arbitrarily including targets such as desired thumbnail images from a list display screen by a simple single operation without increasing the number of keys and operation procedures. To provide a recording / reproducing apparatus having a cursor and a program therefor.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the first technical means of the present invention provides a scaling cursor in which an image area composed of a plurality of image frames associated with a target such as a thumbnail image on a target selection screen is enlarged from a designated area. It is characterized in that it is set as a designated range of.

  According to a second technical means, in the first technical means, the specified range is an image area obtained by equally dividing the target selection screen by an arbitrary integer.

  The third technical means is characterized in that, in the second technical means, the arbitrary integer is different in the number of image frames on the vertical axis and the horizontal axis.

  According to a fourth technical means, in any one of the first to third technical means, the designated range is a plurality of image frame regions constituting rows or columns on the target selection screen. It is.

  According to a fifth technical means, in any one of the first to fourth technical means, an auxiliary image in which a designated key of a remote controller is associated with the designated range is set.

  According to a sixth technical means, in any one of the first to fifth technical means, the designated range is an image area including an image frame corresponding to a magnification of a cursor size conversion key of a remote controller. Is.

  A seventh technical means is characterized in that, in any one of the first to sixth technical means, when the designated range is designated, the objects included in the designated range are designated and made effective at the same time. is there.

  According to an eighth technical means, in any one of the first to seventh technical means, the designated range is narrowed every time designated, and the number of designated image frames is greater than the number of designated keys of the remote controller. The designation is performed until the number decreases.

  According to a ninth technical means, in any one of the first to eighth technical means, an image frame is directly designated by a designation key upon completion of designation of the designated range.

  According to a tenth technical means, in any one of the first to seventh technical means, the specified range is stored as an image area including an image frame corresponding to a magnification of a cursor size conversion key of the remote controller. It is a feature.

  An eleventh technical means is characterized in that, in any one of the first to eighth technical means, the designated range of the scaling cursor is displayed on the target selection screen.

  A twelfth technical means is a program for causing a computer to realize a function of setting an image region composed of a plurality of image frames associated with a target on a target selection screen as a designated range of a scaling cursor. It is what.

  A thirteenth technical means is characterized in that, in the twelfth technical means, the designated range is an image region obtained by equally dividing the target selection screen by an arbitrary integer.

  A fourteenth technical means is characterized in that, in the thirteenth technical means, the arbitrary integer is obtained by changing the number of image frames on the vertical axis and the horizontal axis.

  A fifteenth technical means according to any one of the twelfth to fourteenth technical means, wherein the designated range is a plurality of image frame regions constituting rows or columns on the target selection screen. It is.

  A sixteenth technical means according to any one of the twelfth to fifteenth technical means, realizes a function of setting an auxiliary image in which a designated key of a remote controller is associated with the designated range. It is.

  A seventeenth technical means is characterized in that, in any one of the twelfth to sixteenth technical means, the designated range is an image region composed of an image frame corresponding to a magnification of a cursor size conversion key of a remote controller. Is.

  In an eighteenth technical means, in any one of the twelfth to seventeenth technical means, when the designated range is designated, a function for simultaneously designating and validating the objects included in the designated range is realized. It is what.

  According to a nineteenth technical means, in any one of the twelfth to eighteenth technical means, the designated range is narrowed every time designated, and the number of designated image frames is greater than the number of designated keys of the remote controller. The function of performing the designation until the number is reduced is realized.

  A twentieth technical means is characterized in that, in any one of the twelfth to nineteenth technical means, a function for directly designating an image frame with a designation key is realized upon completion of designation of the designated range. is there.

  A twenty-first technical means is the twelfth technical means, wherein the designated range is narrowed for each designation, and the designation is performed until the number of designated image frames is less than the number of designated keys of the remote controller. In accordance with the end of the designation of the designated range, a function for directly designating an image frame with a designation key is realized.

The recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention can improve the operability when the target is selected by the user when a large number of thumbnail images and the like are displayed on the target selection screen.
Since the cursor has been enlarged from the normal size, the target range specified by the variable magnification cursor and the distance moved are increased from the previous example before the cursor expansion. It is possible to specify a desired target with fewer operations.

Further, by selecting a plurality of targets by enlarging the cursor, it is possible to easily narrow down when selecting a desired target from a large number of images.
By aligning the shape of the magnification cursor with the shape of the target array arbitrarily divided and pressing the enter key on the remote controller, the target at the cursor position on the screen can be selected with a single key operation. .

  By specifying the target by changing the magnification of the scaling key from large magnification to small magnification step by step, the target is narrowed down, and the number of remaining objects is equal to or less than the number of specified keys on the remote controller. When it becomes smaller, direct specification with the specified key is performed. Thereby, the number of processing procedures can be extremely reduced as compared with the conventional case.

The target to be selected need not be limited to thumbnails, and may be used for selecting image extraction conditions (subject, date, photographer, etc.), image group, folder, and the like.
The size of the scaling cursor is not particularly limited as long as two or more objects can be selected.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention.
The recording / reproducing apparatus 101 includes a broadcast receiving unit 102 that receives a broadcast of a selected program, broadcast stream data (moving time information of video, audio, animation “stream data”, text, The timing of the voice-over voice can be adjusted.) Encoding and decoding, receiving and controlling operations from the user, stream (starting data processing at the same time as reading the beginning of the data, while processing the data System control unit 103 that controls the entire system of the recording / reproducing apparatus, such as video / audio / image data control for reading the remaining data and reproducing the data so that it flows without interruption), stream data and images A recording medium 104 for recording, etc., an O for indicating user request and image data information OSD generation unit 105 that generates D (On Screen Display: a display function that can be set while displaying various setting values on a part of the display), and the generated OSD is combined with the generated OSD to output video And a video processing unit 106 for generating.

  The system control unit 103 reads stream data, images, and the like from the recording medium 104 in response to an input by a user's remote control operation, and passes them to the OSD generation unit 105. The OSD generated by the OSD generation unit 105 is received by the broadcast reception unit 102. The received broadcast video signal is synthesized and output to the video processing unit 106 for display.

At this time, the system control unit 103 changes the cursor shape to a desired size by operating the remote controller, designates a plurality of objects on the screen, for example, a plurality of thumbnail images, with the cursor, and depresses the enter key or the execution key. The process of designating the plurality of thumbnail images is performed.
The system control unit 103 substantially includes cursor display pattern setting means, cursor display pattern storage means, and cursor display means.

FIG. 2 shows an example 1 of a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as “remote controller”) for controlling the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention.
The remote controller 201 changes the size of the cursor with the cursor size change key 204 (changes to a magnification cursor), moves the cursor up / down / left / right by the operation of the direction key 202, and sets a plurality of positions designated by the positioned magnification cursor. A target is designated and activated by pressing the enter key, and a designation key 205 for selecting a broadcast is associated with a plurality of validated objects so that a broadcast can be directly selected by operating the designation key 205. The designation key 205 has a configuration of 4 × 4 arrangement keys in total of the numeric keys 1 to 12 in FIG. 2 and other symbol keys (□ Δ ◎ ■), and is in the area of the cursor four times that in FIG. It corresponds to the configuration of the included image frame. Thereby, the target in the image frame can be directly selected by the designation key 205. Since the operation unit of the remote controller 201 is composed of key button switches, the key button switches are hereinafter referred to as “keys” or “buttons”.

The operation means is a means used for operation of a television or a recorder such as a remote controller (for example, a remote controller) having operation keys such as a push button, a rotary dial, and a joystick, or a key similar to the remote controller. However, the present invention is not limited to these as long as the same operation as described above can be performed.
For the cursor size change key 204, “×” represents the magnification, “× 1” sets the cursor shape to 1 ×, “× 2” sets 2 ×, and “× 4” sets 4 ×. . The magnification provided in the cursor size change key 204 is not limited to this, and can be any integer magnification. The number of magnifications that can be selected on the remote controller 201 is arbitrary. The number and type of keys that directly select the target can be arbitrarily selected.

(Cursor size change processing)
The cursor size changing procedure will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.
In the system control unit 103, the following flowchart is executed in response to an operation input from the remote controller. The step (procedure) is expressed as “S”.

Start 1. Press the cursor size change key (S1):
The user presses down the cursor size change key. In response to this, the system control unit 103 receives an operation signal for pressing the cursor size change key 204 from the remote controller 201 of FIG. 2, detects the pressing operation of the cursor size change key 204, and proceeds to S2. .
2. Is the current cursor size different from the changed cursor size? (S2).
It is determined whether or not the currently stored cursor size is different from the cursor size after the change made by pressing the cursor size change key 204 in S1. If the cursor size is not different, exit. If the cursor size is different, the process proceeds to S3.
3. Change cursor size (S3):
Since the cursor size is different, the cursor size after the change is memorized and the process ends. This cursor size is stored in the storage means in the system control unit, the storage medium 104, or the like.
End

4, 5 and 6 are examples of changing the cursor size according to the present invention, and are explanatory diagrams of cursors when “× 1”, “× 2” and “× 4” of the cursor size change key 204 are selected, respectively. is there.
FIG. 4 shows an example in which an object selection image composed of an 8 × 8 image frame, for example, a thumbnail selection screen is displayed on the display screen, and the cursor size change magnification is set to 1. Here, the magnification refers to the respective magnifications on the vertical axis and the horizontal axis.
Of the 8 × 8 image frame 404 provided on the display screen, the outer shape of the cursor 402 is aligned with one image frame on the vertical axis and one on the horizontal axis. As a result, the object on the object selection image 401, for example, the thumbnail image 403 can be selected with the cursor 402. The cursor takes the position of the upper left corner of the target selection screen as an offset position.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which an object selection screen composed of an 8 × 8 image frame, for example, a thumbnail selection screen is displayed on the display screen, and the cursor size change magnification is set to 2 times.
The outer shape of the scaling cursor 501 is aligned with a total of four image frames, two vertical axes and two horizontal axes, of an 8 × 8 image frame provided on the display screen. As a result, the objects in the object selection screen 401, for example, four thumbnail images 502 can be selected at once with the magnification cursor 501. A scaling cursor having an area corresponding to the 2 × 2 image frame can specify an arbitrary 2 × 2 image frame position in the target selection screen 401.

(Example of narrowing down with a variable magnification cursor)
-8 × 8 image frames with 8 vertical and 8 horizontal targets, such as thumbnail images, are usually narrowed down with a magnification cursor that expands the cursor of one image frame to a 4 × 4 image frame, and then 1 × An example in which a target is directly specified with a scaling cursor returned to one image frame.
FIG. 6 shows an example in which an object selection screen 401 including an 8 × 8 image frame, for example, a thumbnail selection screen is displayed on the display screen, and the cursor size change magnification is set to 4 times.
The outer shape of the scaling cursor 601 is aligned with a total of 16 image frames of 4 vertical axes and 4 horizontal axes among the 8 × 8 image frames provided on the display screen. As a result, objects within the object selection screen 401, for example, 16 thumbnail images 602 can be selected at once with the magnification cursor 601. A cursor having an area corresponding to the 4 × 4 image frame can specify an arbitrary 4 × 4 image frame position in the target selection screen 401. The cursor takes the position of the upper left corner in the target selection screen as an offset position.

The magnification cursor 601 is moved from the position of the magnification cursor 601 in FIG. 6 to the position of the lower right corner in FIG. 8 by pressing the “right” and “down” direction keys 202 of the remote controller 201.
Next, with the scaling cursor 801 at the position in the lower right corner of FIG. 8, the “decision key” 203 or the cursor size change key “× 1” 204 of the remote controller 201 is pressed down, as shown in FIG. Change to the scaling cursor 803 of the original 1 × 1 image frame size. The offset position of the scaling cursor 803 at the time of the size reduction is the position of the upper left corner of the scaling cursor area at the previous scaling, that is, the upper left corner of the occupation area of the scaling cursor 801 in FIG. This is the position of the magnification cursor 803 in FIG.

When the position to be moved is the position of the star 804 in FIG. 9, the zoom cursor 803 in FIG. 9 is operated by depressing the “right” of the direction key 202 of the remote controller 201 and the position of the star 804 in FIG. 10. And press the “OK” key 203 to validate the target of the star 804. As a result, a target such as a thumbnail image at the position of the desired star 804 can be selected.
In order to select the target of the star 804, conventionally, the “down” direction key is selected four times, the “right” is selected five times, and the “decision key” is selected ten times. However, when using the scaling cursor of the present invention, the cursor size change key “× 4” is changed once, the “down” arrow key is changed once, the “right” is changed once, the “decision key” or the cursor size is changed. The key “× 1” is pressed once, the “down” direction key is pressed once, and the “decision key” is pressed once for a total of six times. This makes the operation easy to understand and simple, and shortens the operation time.

(Designated key image display processing)
-Narrow down the 8x8 image frame in which the target of thumbnail images etc. are arranged 8 on the vertical axis and 8 on the horizontal axis, usually with the scaling cursor that enlarges the cursor of 1 image frame to 4x4 image frame, and then specify key An example in which the target is directly specified by.
FIG. 7 shows that the auxiliary image corresponding to the designated key of the remote controller is made the current image after moving the 4 × magnification cursor from the position of the magnification cursor of FIG. 6 to the diagonal position of the target selection screen of FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure of combining and displaying as shown in FIG. 11 and directly specifying a target by using a specification key.
In the system control unit 103, the following flowchart is executed in response to an operation input from the remote controller.

Start (B)
1. Enlargement cursor movement (S11):
A cursor 601 having a size four times that of FIG. 6 (× 4) is operated by depressing “right” and “down” of the direction key 202 of the remote controller 201 to move to the position of the lower right corner of FIG.
2. Press the enter key (S12):
By pressing the enter key 203 of the remote controller 201, the cursor 801 is positioned as shown in FIG. 8, and the image area occupied by the cursor 801 is validated.

3. Auxiliary image drawing (S13):
When the enter key 203 is pressed in S12, an auxiliary image 901 corresponding to the arrangement of the buttons 205 of the remote controller 201 is combined with the current display by the video processing unit 106 and rendered as shown in FIG.
The auxiliary image 901 is created by the OSD generation unit 105 as an image to which the designation key 205 is assigned according to the size of the zooming area of the cursor. The auxiliary image 901 is generated by the OSD generation unit 105 at an arbitrary timing, for example, when an operation for determining a scaling factor of the cursor is performed or according to a pressing operation of the determination key.
4). Button press (S14):
An arbitrary button on the auxiliary image 901, here, a symbol key (■) corresponding to the target 404 such as a thumbnail image is pressed.

5. Is the button corresponding to the display pressed? (S15):
The system control unit 103 determines whether or not the key button in the designation key 205 corresponding to the auxiliary image 901 is pressed. If it is not pressed, the process returns to the beginning of S15. Proceed to S16.
6). Select the target of the corresponding button (S16):
The object 404 corresponding to the pressed symbol key (■) in the designation key 205 is selected, and an image of the original size corresponding to the thumbnail image of the object 404 is displayed on the screen.
End

  Conventionally, in order to perform the above operations, it was necessary to move the cursor 14 times, determine button 1 time, and the total number of operations 15 times. However, according to the selection method described above, the cursor enlarge button 1 time, cursor 2 times, enter button It can be shortened to 1 time, 1 button, 1 operation, and 5 times in total. As a result, it is possible to clearly understand the operation procedure of what is currently being performed, shorten the operation time, and reduce erroneous operations.

(Example of redrawing after narrowing down in Example 2)
・ Targets such as thumbnail images that are 8 × 8 image frames with 8 on the vertical axis and 8 on the horizontal axis are usually narrowed down with a scaling cursor that expands the cursor of one image frame to a 4 × 4 image frame. An example of redrawing and then performing direct selection.
In the flowchart for performing redrawing in the third embodiment in FIG. 12 and the flowchart in the second embodiment in FIG. 7, S21 and S11, S22 and S12, S24 and S14, S25 and S15, and S26 and S16 correspond to each other. Since it is a procedure, the description of the same procedure in FIG. 12 uses the description of FIG. 7 and is omitted here.
In the flowchart of FIG. 12, only step S23 different from that of FIG. 7 will be described.

3. Selection range redrawing, catching image drawing (S23):
When the enter key 203 is pressed at the magnification cursor position in FIG. 8, the target image 802 group selected by the current magnification cursor 801 and the remote control generated by the OSD generation unit 105 are displayed in the video processing unit 106. The auxiliary image 901 corresponding to the arrangement of the buttons 205 is synthesized and redrawn to fill the screen as the auxiliary image 1102 corresponding to the scaling cursor 1101 as shown in FIG.
As a result of this redrawing, the screen is switched from the screen displaying the 8 × 8 small image frame as shown in FIG. 8 to the screen displaying the 4 × 4 image frame enlarged four times as shown in FIG. As a result, the cursor shape is quadrupled so that it is easy to see, and the designation key corresponding to the cursor frame can be easily selected.

  Conventionally, the above-mentioned selection operation required a cursor having a shape corresponding to a normal image frame 14 times, one determination button, and a total of 15 operations. However, according to the selection method, the cursor enlargement button 1 time, the cursor It can be shortened to 2 times, 1 determination button, 1 button, and 5 operations. As a result, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the selection operation can be easily performed by redrawing the selection range.

(Example of narrowing down using a double magnification cursor)
-An example of setting the zooming cursor to enlarge twice and narrowing down and selecting directly.
The scaling of the cursor is changed with the cursor size change key 1202 of the remote controller 1201 in FIG.
The change magnification is normal size (one image frame in FIG. 16), 8 divisions (1/8 of the entire screen, 4 × 6 or 8 × 3 image frame), 4 divisions (1/4 of the entire screen) There is an image frame 12 × 16 in FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a scaling cursor composed of 6 × 8 image frames.

(Twice scaling process)
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a procedure for narrowing down twice with a scaling cursor having a different scaling ratio using the remote controller of FIG.
In the system control unit 103, the following flowchart is executed in response to an operation input from the remote controller 1201.

Start 1. (A) Change cursor size (S31):
In the target selection screen whose entire screen is made up of 12 × 16 image frames, the scaling cursor is changed to a shape including a 6 × 8 image frame by the selection operation of the “4-division” cursor size change key 1202. The cursor takes the position of the upper left corner in the target selection screen as an offset position.
2. Enlargement cursor movement (S32):
16 is operated by depressing the “right” and “down” movement keys of the remote controller 1201 to move the magnification cursor to the lower right corner of FIG. To do.

3. Press the enter key (S33):
When the scaling cursor 1501 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 17, the determination key of the remote controller 1201 is pressed down. As a result, the image area 1502 designated by the scaling cursor 1501 in FIG. 17 is validated.
4). Selection range redrawing (S34):
The entire object selection screen 1401 in FIG. 17 is redrawn with the image frame 6 × 8 in the lower right corner designated by the scaling cursor 1501 selected in S33.
5. (A) Change cursor size (S35):
In the state of the object selection screen 1601 redrawn entirely in the image frame 6 × 8 in S34, the cursor size change key 1202 of the remote controller 1201 is operated to set the magnification of the scaling cursor to “4 divisions”. As a result, the magnification cursor 1602 has a shape of an image frame 3 × 4.

6). (B) Cursor movement, selection (S36):
The magnification cursor 1602 located at the upper left corner of FIG. 18 is moved to the lower right corner of the target selection screen 1401 of FIG. 19 by operating the movement keys of the remote controller 1201 to “right” and “down”, and the remote controller 1201 The image key corresponding to the scaling cursor 1701 is validated by pressing the enter key. By designating the area, the designation key 1203 of the remote controller 1201 is assigned to the designation key 1702 in FIG. 19 corresponding to the image frame 3 × 4.
When any one of the designation keys 1203 of the remote controller 1201 is pressed, the corresponding designation key 1702 area on the target selection screen 1401 in FIG. 19 is selected and executed, and as in the second embodiment, the corresponding image frame is displayed. A target such as a thumbnail image is displayed as a normal size image.
End

(Example of redrawing after narrowing down in Example 4)
In the fifth embodiment, a 6 × 8 image frame in which targets such as thumbnail images are arranged 6 on the vertical axis and 8 on the horizontal axis is normally used as a scaling cursor in which the cursor of one image frame is enlarged to a 3 × 4 image frame. Narrow down, redraw the narrowed target, and then perform direct selection.
In the flowchart of FIG. 20 and the flowchart of the fourth embodiment in FIG. 15, S41 and S31, S42 and S32, S43 and S33, S44 and S34, and S45 and S35 correspond to each other, so the same procedure in FIG. Uses the description of FIG. 15 and is omitted here.

In the flowchart of FIG. 20, only step S46 different from that of FIG. 15 will be described.
7). (C) Cursor movement, selection range redrawing, auxiliary image drawing, selection (S46):
When the enter key 203 is pressed at the magnification cursor position in FIG. 19, the image processing unit 106 selects the target image group selected by the current magnification cursor 1701 and the remote controller 1201 generated by the OSD generation unit 105. The auxiliary image 1702 corresponding to the arrangement of the buttons 1203 is synthesized and redrawn to fill the screen as shown in FIG.
By redrawing, the screen is switched from a screen displaying a 6 × 8 small image frame as shown in FIG. 19 to a screen displaying a 4 × 4 image frame enlarged four times as shown in FIG. As a result, the cursor shape is quadrupled so that it is easy to see, and the designation key corresponding to the cursor frame can be easily selected.

  Previously, it required 26 cursors, 1 decision button, and a total of 27 operations. However, according to the above selection method, the cursor enlargement button 1 time, the cursor 2 times, the decision button 1 time, the cursor enlargement button 1 time, It can be shortened to 2 cursors, 1 enter button, 1 button, and 9 operations.

(Example of selecting consecutive targets in “row” and “column” together)
In the sixth embodiment, the shape of the magnification cursor is set to a shape corresponding to “row” or “column” on the target selection screen, and 8 × 8 in which targets such as thumbnail images are arranged 8 on the vertical axis and 8 on the horizontal axis. The image frame is usually narrowed down with a zooming cursor in which the cursor of one image frame is expanded to 8 rows of “row” or “column”, and then direct selection is performed. As a result, continuous targets are selected in units of “rows” and “columns”.

The remote controller 2001 has the configuration shown in FIG. 22, and the configuration in which the cursor size change key 2002 is divided into “normal”, “row”, and “column” is different from those of the other embodiments, and other “movement keys”. The “decision key” and the “designation key” are not different from those of the other embodiments.
When the “row” key of the cursor size change key 2002 of the remote controller 2001 is pressed, as shown in FIG. 23, the entire image frame 2102 where the current scaling cursor 2101 is located is selected.
Similarly, when the “column” key of the cursor size change key 2002 is pressed, as shown in FIG. 24, the entire image frame 2102 in which the current scaling cursor 2101 is located is selected.
After that, it is redrawn as it is or a decision key is pressed to assign a designation key to each image frame so that it can be selected.

(Example of selecting discontinuous objects at once)
A scaling cursor that expands the 8x8 image frame with 8 on the vertical axis and 8 on the horizontal axis, which includes targets such as discontinuous thumbnail images, and normally the cursor for one image frame expanded to a 4x4 image frame This is an example of narrowing down, redrawing the narrowed target, and then directly selecting a discontinuous target.
In the target selection screen 401 of FIG. 25, the scaling cursor is enlarged to a 4 × 4 image frame so as to include all the targets that take the jumping coordinates, and the scaling cursor is offset as in the above-described embodiment. From the position of the upper right corner on the screen as the position, the movement keys of the remote controller 2001 are operated to “right” and “left” to move to the lower right corner on the screen.

  The narrowing by the scaling cursor is basically performed in the same manner as in the second and third embodiments. The image frame designated by the scaling cursor positioned at the lower right corner is validated by pressing the enter key of the remote controller 2001, and the designated key is displayed. Next, the display in the scaling cursor 801 on the screen of FIG. 25 is redrawn on the entire object selection screen as shown in FIG. The image frame in FIG. 26 is 2 × 2 times the image frame in FIG. The designation keys “2”, “8”, and “12” are directly selectable and have an effective image.

In the above-described embodiments, 1) an operation for narrowing down a selection from a large number of images to a desired image by selecting a plurality of targets such as thumbnail images by enlarging the cursor, and 2) the target array is designated by a remote controller designation key. Compared to an array, an operation of directly selecting a desired object by pressing a designated key, 3) a desired object can be selected without extra cursor movement by the operations of 1 and 2 (there is also a combination of 1 and 2). In this case, an example in which the number of cursor size changes is up to two has been described. However, the number of times of change is not limited to this, and finally the number of objects that can be directly selected with the designated key of the remote controller depends on the number of objects such as thumbnail images to be displayed and the display mode (largely displayed). Until the cursor size can be changed.
In addition, although the example of dividing the entire image frame of the target selection screen by an integer has been described as the shape of the scaling cursor, it may be a shape that specifies an area including an arbitrary image frame.

In addition, if a scaling cursor is used, a plurality of objects can be selected and necessary processing can be executed. However, this processing method is not limited to reproduction of a normal size image associated with a thumbnail image. The present invention can also be applied to batch processing such as dubbing and erasing.
The above description is based on the recording / reproducing apparatus of FIG. 1. However, the recording / reproducing apparatus requiring the above functions is not limited to this, and a general personal computer incorporating a program capable of recording / reproducing images and the like is incorporated. It may be a computer or the like.

  It can be applied to fields that require a procedure for sequentially narrowing down a large number of clusters until they can be directly specified. It can also be applied to selecting a required file from a large number of files.

It is a block block diagram of the recording / reproducing apparatus of this invention. It is Example 1 of the remote controller (henceforth "remote controller") for controlling the recording / reproducing apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the cursor size change procedure of this invention. This is an example of changing the cursor size when “× 1” of the present invention is selected. It is an example of changing the cursor size when “× 2” of the present invention is selected. This is an example of changing the cursor size when “× 4” of the present invention is selected. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which moves a 4 times cursor from the position of the cursor of FIG. 6 of this invention to the diagonal position of the object selection screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which moved the 4 times cursor to the diagonal position with respect to the position of FIG. 6 in an object selection screen. It is explanatory drawing of a cursor size when a cursor size is changed from "x4" of this invention to "x1", and a cursor position. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which aligned the cursor of FIG. 9 with the star. It is the figure which displayed the auxiliary image on the object designated with the cursor of FIG. 10 is a flowchart for performing redrawing in the second embodiment. It is an example of redrawing of FIG. It is a block diagram of the remote controller provided with the cursor size change key of another magnification. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of narrowing down twice with the magnification cursor from which magnification changes differ using the remote controller of FIG. It is a figure which shows the scaling cursor which consists of a 6x8 image frame of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state which moved the scaling cursor of FIG. 16 to the diagonal position on a screen. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an area designated by a scaling cursor in FIG. 17 is redesignated by a scaling cursor composed of 3 × 4 image frames. 6 is a diagram in which an auxiliary image 901 corresponding to the arrangement of buttons 205 of the remote controller 201 is combined with the current display and drawn by the video processing unit 106. FIG. After moving the 3 × 4 times cursor from the cursor position of FIG. 18 to the diagonal position of the target selection screen of FIG. 19, the auxiliary image corresponding to the remote controller designation key is combined with the current image and drawn, Furthermore, it is a flowchart which shows the procedure which redraws like FIG. It is the figure which synthesize | combined the auxiliary image corresponding to the designation | designated key of the remote controller of this invention with the present image, and was redrawn. It is a block diagram of the further another remote controller provided with the cursor size change key from which the magnification mode of this invention differs. It is a figure which shows the scaling cursor which uses the line of this invention as a designated area | region. It is a figure which shows the scaling cursor which uses the row | line | column of this invention as a designated area | region. It is a figure which shows the state which synthesize | combined the auxiliary | assistant image showing the designation | designated key of a remote controller with this designated current image, specifying with the magnification cursor so that all the objects which take a jumping coordinate may be included in the object selection screen of this invention. . It is the figure which redrawn FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Recording / reproducing apparatus, 102 ... Broadcast receiving part, 103 ... System control part, 104 ... Recording medium, 105 ... OSD production | generation part, 106 ... Video processing part, 201, 1201, 2001 ... Remote controller, 202 ... Direction key, 203 ... Decision key, 204, 1202, 2002 ... Cursor size change key, 205, 1203 ... Designation key, 401, 1401, 1601 ... Target selection screen, 402 ... Cursor, 403, 502, 602, 802, 1403, 1502, 1603 2102, 2301, 2401 ... target (thumbnail image etc.), 404, 1404 ... image frame, 501, 601, 801, 803, 1101, 1402, 1501, 1602, 1701, 1901, 2101 ... zooming cursor, 901, 1102, 1702, 1902 ... auxiliary images.

Claims (21)

  A recording / reproducing apparatus characterized in that an image area composed of a plurality of image frames associated with a target on a target selection screen is set as a designated range of a scaling cursor.   The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the designated range is an image area obtained by equally dividing the target selection screen by an arbitrary integer.   3. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the arbitrary integer is different in the number of image frames on the vertical axis and the horizontal axis.   4. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the designated range is a plurality of image frame regions constituting a row or a column on the target selection screen. 5.   5. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary image in which a designated key of a remote controller is associated with the designated range is set.   6. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the designated range is an image area including an image frame corresponding to a magnification of a cursor size conversion key of a remote controller.   7. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the designated range is designated, the objects included in the designated range are designated and validated simultaneously.   The specification range is narrowed for each designation, and the designation is performed until the number of designated image frames is smaller than the number of designation keys of the remote controller. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1.   9. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image frame is directly designated by a designation key when the designation range is designated.   8. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the designated range is stored as an image area including an image frame corresponding to a magnification of a cursor size conversion key of a remote controller.   9. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a designated range of the scaling cursor is displayed on the target selection screen.   A program for causing a computer to realize a function of setting an image area composed of a plurality of image frames associated with a target on a target selection screen as a designated range of a magnification cursor.   The program according to claim 12, wherein the designated range is an image area obtained by equally dividing the target selection screen by an arbitrary integer.   14. The program according to claim 13, wherein the arbitrary integer has a different number of image frames on the vertical axis and the horizontal axis.   The program according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the designated range is a plurality of image frame regions constituting rows or columns on the target selection screen.   The program according to any one of claims 12 to 15, for realizing a function of setting an auxiliary image in which a designated key of a remote controller is associated with the designated range.   The program according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the specified range is an image area including an image frame corresponding to a magnification of a cursor size conversion key of a remote controller.   The program according to any one of claims 12 to 17, for realizing a function of simultaneously specifying and validating the objects included in the specified range when the specified range is specified.   19. The function according to any one of claims 12 to 18, wherein the designation range is narrowed for each designation, and a function for performing the designation until the number of designated image frames remaining is smaller than the number of designation keys of the remote controller. Or the program according to claim 1.   The program according to any one of claims 12 to 19, for realizing a function of directly designating an image frame by a designation key when the designation range is designated.   The specified range is narrowed each time specified, and the designation is performed until the number of designated image frames remaining is less than the number of designated keys of the remote controller. 13. The program according to claim 12, which realizes a function for directly designating an image frame.

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