Imaging device, non-transitory storage medium, and encoder selection method

A non-transitory storage medium that stores a computer program that causes a computer to execute:

• acquiring, when a second-type encoder is connected to an imaging device that includes a first-type encoder, encoder information containing at least information on the second-type encoder from the second-type encoder, wherein the second-type encoder is an external device and is configured to compress image data of captured images;
• and
• selecting, based on the encoder information, an encoder used for a record purpose and an encoder used for a distribution purpose from among the first-type encoder and the second-type encoder, wherein
• the encoder information contains at least one of:
• information related to an encoder operation mode,
• the information related to the encoder operation mode contains a low-delay mode and an image quality priority mode in which an image quality is given higher priority than that in the low-delay mode and an encoding delay is longer than that in the low-delay mode, and
• the selecting comprises;
• selecting, in response to determining that the information related to the encoder operation mode for the second-type encoder indicates the image quality priority mode, the second-type encoder as the encoder used for the record purpose;
• and
• selecting, in response to determining that the information related to the encoder operation mode for the second-type encoder indicates the low-delay mode, the first-type encoder as the encoder used for the record purpose and the second-type encoder as the encoder used for the distribution purpose.

An encoder selection method comprising:

• acquiring, when a second-type encoder is connected to an imaging device that includes a first-type encoder, encoder information containing at least information on the second-type encoder from the second-type encoder, wherein the second-type encoder is an external device and is configured to compress image data of captured images;
• and
• selecting, based on the encoder information, an encoder used for a record purpose and an encoder used for a distribution purpose from among the first-type encoder and the second-type encoder, wherein
• the encoder information contains at least one of:
• information related to an encoder operation mode,
• the information related to the encoder operation mode contains a low-delay mode and an image quality priority mode in which an image quality is given higher priority than that in the low-delay mode and an encoding delay is longer than that in the low-delay mode, and
• the selecting comprises:
• in response to determining that the information related to the encoder operation mode for the second-type encoder indicates the image quality priority mode, selecting the second-type encoder as the encoder used for the record purpose;
• and
• in response to determining that the information related to the encoder operation mode for the second-type encoder indicates the low-delay mode, selecting the first-type encoder as the encoder used for the record purpose and the second-type encoder as the encoder used for the distribution purpose.