, and tags, respectively.
By describing the attribute information in an arbitrary
tag defining a text element, it becomes possible to indicate
5 that the text element (text) designated by that tag is a target
for subtitle forced display control. In other words, it
becomes possible to freely select a text section that is a
target for the subtitle forced display control by selecting
a tag in which the attribute information is described.
10 [0026]
<3. Display control device>
Fig. 7 depicts an exemplary configuration of the playback
device 1 serving as the display control device of an embodiment.
In Fig. 7, the playback device 1 is provided with an
15 input unit 2, a demultiplexer 3, a display processing unit
4, a controller 5, an operation unit 6, and a display unit
7.
[0027]
The input unit 2 is configured so as to input delivery
20 purpose-data that is received by way of the network NT depicted
in the preceding Fig. 1, or delivery purpose-data that is
recorded on removable media RM.
The delivery purpose-data that is input by the input
unit 2 is supplied to a demultiplexer.
25 [0028]
The demultiplexer 3 demultiplexes the delivery
purpose-data to thereby extract (separate) each of the video
image data and the TTML data.
The video image data is supplied to the display
30 processing unit 4, and the TTML data is supplied to the
controller 5.
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[0029]
The display processing unit 4 carries out various types
of processing for displaying, on the display unit 7, a video
image based on the video image data and subtitles. In the
5 case where a subtitle display setting described hereafter is
ON, the display processing unit 4, on the basis of an instruction
from the controller 5, carries out processing with which
subtitle data based on TTML data is combined with video image
data and displayed on the display unit 7.
10 [0030]
The display unit 7 is a liquid crystal display or an
organic EL display for example, and is display-driven by the
display processing unit 4.
[0031]
15 The controller 5 is constituted by a microcomputer
provided with a CPU (central processing unit) , a ROM (read-only
memory) , a RAM (random-access memory) , and so on, and carries
out overall control of the playback device 1.
In the case of the present example, the controller 5
20 carries out reception processing of a display/non-display
setting (subtitle display setting) for timed text subtitles
based on TTML data. To be specific, an instruction for whether
a subtitle display setting is to be ON or OFF
(display/non-display) is received on the basis of operational
25 input by a user carried out by way of the operation unit 6.
[0032]
Furthermore, in the case of the present example in
particular, the controller 5 carries out timed text subtitle
display control (namely normal subtitle display control
30 processing) based on the described details of the TTML data
j and the details of the subtitle display setting, and also
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carries out processing pertaining to subtitle forced display
control based on the aforementioned attribute information
described in the TTML data.
[0033]
5 Fig. 8 is a flowchart in which specific steps for
processing pertaining to subtitle forced display control based
on TTML data and carried out by the controller 5 are depicted.
It should be noted that the processing depicted in this
Fig. 8 is executed by the controller 5 on the basis of a program
10 stored in a memory such as the aforementioned ROM for example .
[0034]
First, in step S101, processing for waiting until the
description of forced display attribute information is
detected is executed. In other words, waiting is carried out
15 until the description of "forced" indicating forced display
attribute information is detected in TTML data (in a tag)
supplied from the demultiplexer 3.
[0035]
If the description of forced display attribute
20 information is detected, processing proceeds to step S102,
and the determination of an attribute value is carried out.
In other words, in the case of the present example, the
determination of a "true" or "false" attribute value described
in association with "forced" is carried out.
25 [0036]
In step S102, if a determination result indicating that
the attribute value is "false" is obtained, namely that the
attribute value is a non-forced display instruction,
processing proceeds to step S103.
30 Furthermore, in step S102, if a determination result
indicating that the attribute value is "true" is obtained,
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in other words that the attribute value is a forced display
instruction, processing proceeds to step S104.
[0037]
In step S103, it is determined whether the subtitle
5 display setting is ON or OFF.
In this step S103, if a determination result indicating
that the subtitle display setting is ON is obtained, processing
proceeds to "RETURN" as indicated in the drawing.
It should be noted that, for confirmation purposes, if
10 the subtitle display.setting is ON, subtitle display based
on TTML data is carried out by means of normal subtitle display
control processing carried out by the controller 5 in parallel
with the processing depicted in Fig. 8.
[0038]
15 On the other hand, in the step S103, if a determination
result indicating that the subtitle display setting is OFF
is obtained, processing proceeds to step S104.
[0039]
In step S104, a display instruction for characters
20 corresponding to text data instructed by a tag having attribute
information described therein is carried out. In other words,
the transfer of text data (subtitle data) and the display
instruction therefor (combining instruction) instructed by
a tag having attribute information described therein are
25 carried out with respect to the display processing unit 4.
It should be noted that, during this process, the display
instruction for subtitle data is carried out in such a way
that the display timing for the subtitle data becomes a timing
designated by the TTML data.
30 [0040]
After the processing of step S104 has been executed,
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processing proceeds to "RETURN" as indicated in the drawing.
[0041]
It should be noted that, in Fig. 7, an example is given
of a configuration in which the playback device 1 is provided
5 with the display unit 7 serving as a display; however, the
display unit 7 may of course be provided externally. In other
words, it is also possible for the playback device 1 to be
configured with the display unit 7 depicted in the drawing
being omitted.
10 [0042]
<4. Embodiment summary and modified example>
As described above, according to the display control
technique of the present embodiment, a subtitle forced display
function can be implemented on the basis of TTML.
15 Furthermore, in the present embodiment, by describing
attribute information pertaining to forced display in a tag,
it is possible to freely select a text section that is a target
for subtitle forced display control by selection of the tag
in which the attribute information is described.
20 [0043]
In this regard, specific usage examples for a subtitle
forced display function include a use in which a warning card
for warning that, for example, unauthorized reproduction is
prohibited is displayed in the opening section and so on of
25 content such as a movie. In other words, application of the
subtitle forced display function for messages or the like to
be displayed at all times regardless of whether the subtitle
display setting is ON or OFF, as with this kind of warning
card, is effective.
30 [0044]
During this process, in the conventional case where there
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is no subtitle forced display function, a warning card is
inserted as part of a video image serving a movie. In other
words, a warning card is inserted as a video image file.
A warning card in each different language should be
5 inserted in accordance with the content delivery destination;
however, when a warning card is inserted as a video image file
in this way, a video image file has to be prepared for each
language, and for that reason it is necessary for mass storage
recording media to be prepared at the delivery source, and
10 it is also liable that there will also be a resulting increase
in cost pertaining to the creation of content due to the increase
in workload.
[0045]
In contrast to this, according to the present embodiment
15 in which subtitle forced display is implemented on the basis
of TTML, only text data serving as TTML data is retained for
each language, and for that reason, a reduction in the amount
of data required to be recorded and a reduction in cost
pertaining to creation are achieved.
20 [0046]
In this regard, for confirmation purposes, the
steps/configuration for carrying out this kind of generation
of TTML data for each language and the selection of subtitle
display according to the desired language are described
25 hereafter.
First, in this case, in the TTML data generation step
SI depicted in the preceding Fig. 1, TTML data is generated
separately for subtitles of each language. Furthermore, in
the step S2 for combining with video image data, delivery
30 purpose-data in which these plurality of TTML data generated
for each language and the video image data are multiplexed
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is generated, and in the recording step S3, the delivery
purpose-data is recorded on a required storage recordingmedium
(a recording medium of a delivery purpose-server device or
a removable medium RM).
5 [0047]
In the playback device 1 in this case, a language
designation from a user is received by the controller 5 prior
to the playback and so on of content serving as the video image
data.
10 During playback, the controller 5 instructs the
demultiplexer 3 to extract only TTML data corresponding to
the designated language, and carries out subtitle forced
display control that is the same as that previously described,
on the basis of the TTML data extracted.
15 Forced subtitle display for the designated language is
thereby implemented.
[0048]
Alternatively, it is also possible for, as delivery
purpose-data, data in which video image data and TTML data
20 generated for one subtitle language are multiplexed to be
generated separately for each subtitle language, and for these
items of delivery purpose-data for each language to be recorded
on a required recording medium.
At this point, in the case of network delivery, in
25 accordance with a language designation from the playback device
1 side, a delivery purpose-server device is configured to send,
to that playback device 1, delivery purpose-data corresponding
to the designated language. Furthermore, in the case of
delivery using removable media RM, removable media RM having
30 delivery purpose-data created for the subtitle language of
the country in question recorded thereon is distributed to
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each country.
At the playback device 1 side, it is therefore possible
for subtitle forced display in a language corresponding to
the country in question to be carried out.
5 If this kind of technique is employed, in comparison
to when the aforementioned technique is employed, the amount
of delivery data can be further reduced, a reduction in the
amount of communication data is achieved in the case of network
delivery, and furthermore a.reduction in the amount of
10 recording for the removable media RM is achieved if removable
media RM is used.
[0049]
It should be noted that the present technology is not
to be restricted to the specific examples described up to this
1 15 point.
For example, in the description up to this point, an
example has been given in which an "attribute value" is
described; however, it is also possible for the "attribute
value" description to not be required.
20 To be specific, the description of an attribute value
such as "true" or "false" is not required in the case when
the description of predetermined data such as "forced", which
is indicative of attribute information, in an arbitrary tag
is defined as indicating that subtitle forced display is ON.
25 In this case, if predetermined data pertaining to subtitle
forced display such as "forced" is described in a tag, the
playback device 1 is configured so as to carry out forced display
of subtitle data designated by the tag in which the
predetermined data is described.
30 In the case where an attribute value is described, it
is necessary for "forced" and the attribute value therefor
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to be described also when forced display is OFF; however, in
the case where the aforementioned technique is employed, it
is not necessary for "forced" and the attribute value therefor
to be described when forced display is OFF, and for that reason
5 an increase in the efficiency of creation work for TTML data
is achieved.
[0050]
Furthermore,'in the description up to this point, an
example has been given of a case where the present technology
10 is applied to network delivery for video image content and
to delivery using removable media; however, the present
technology can be suitably applied also to subtitle display
for digital television broadcasting, for example.
[0051]
15 Furthermore, the present technology can be suitably
applied also to cases such as where, as targets for forced
display, character information and an image based on bitmap
data or the like are displayed together.
20 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
[0052] |
I
1
1 Playback device, 2 Input unit, 3 Demultiplexer, 4
Display processing unit, 5 Controller, 6 Operation unit, 7
Display unit, NT Network, RM Removable medium
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m* SP322130WO00
CLAIMS
1. A display control method comprising:
a generation step of generating TTML (Timed Text Markup
5 Language) data in which predetermined attribute information
pertaining to subtitle forced display is described in a tag
defining an element of text;
a recording step of recording the TTML data generated
by the generation step, on a required recording medium;
10 an input step of inputting the TTML data recorded on
the recording medium; and
a display control step of, on the basis of the
predetermined attribute information in the TTML data input
by the input step, performing control in such a way that
15 characters based on text data designated by the tag in which
the attribute information is written are displayed on a display
unit regardless of whether a subtitle display setting is ON
I or OFF.
J 20 2. The display control method according to claim 1, wherein
the predetermined attribute information is described
in such a way as to indicate whether forced display is ON or
OFF in accordance with an attribute value described in
association with data that is indicative of the attribute
25 information.
3. The display control method according to claim 2, wherein,
in the generation step, the TTML data is generated for
each subtitle of a different language, and delivery
30 purpose-data in which the plurality of TTML data and video
image data are multiplexed is generated,
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j in the recording step, the delivery purpose-data is
recorded on the recording medium, and
in the input step, the video image data is separated
from the delivery purpose-data, and also the TTML data for
5 a designated language is selected from among the plurality
of TTML data and is input.
4. The display control method according to claim 1, wherein,
in the generation step, the predetermined attribute
10 information is described in a tag.
5 . The display control method according to claim 1, wherein,
in the generation step, the predetermined attribute
information is described in a tag.
15
6. Thedisplay control method according to claim 1, wherein,
in the generation step, the predetermined attribute
information is described in a