Scene-change-point detecting method and moving-picture editing/displaying method

A moving-picture editing/displaying method for editing and displaying a moving picture by decoding, editing and displaying a stored, compressed and coded moving picture, said moving picture being coded according to a moving-picture coding process of dividing said moving picture into groups of pictures each having a first picture to undergo intra-picture compression, a plurality of second pictures each to undergo four differential-picture compression, wherein differences between each second picture and a timewise preceding encoded picture are compressed, and a plurality of third pictures each to undergo forward/backward differential-picture compression, wherein differences between each third picture and timewise proceeding encoded picture and a timewise succeeding encoded picture are compressed, dividing each of said pictures into blocks each having a predetermined size, and encoding each of said blocks by one of said intra-picture compression, said forward differential picture compression and forward/backward differential picture compression, said moving-picture editing/displaying method comprising the steps of:

• specifying a picture position in said moving picture;
• searching said moving picture for said specified picture position in a process of decoding said stored, compressed and coded moving picture;
• detecting a scene change point preceding said picture position and a scene change point succeeding said picture position, said detecting step comprises the steps of:
• counting the number of blocks in a picture completing said differential-picture compression, counting the number of blocks in said picture completing said intra-picture compression, and counting the number of blocks in said picture completing no compression, and
• detecting whether a scene-change-point exists in said picture based on the counts;
• and
• displaying pictures starting with a picture at said scene change point preceding said picture position and ending with a picture at said scene change point succeeding said picture position.

A scene-change-point detection apparatus for detecting a scene change point in a moving picture which has been coded by a moving-picture compression system according to a moving-picture coding process of dividing said moving picture into groups of pictures each having a first picture to undergo intra-picture compression, a plurality of second pictures each to undergo forward differential-picture compression, wherein differences between each second picture and a timewise preceding encoded picture are compressed and a plurality of third pictures each to undergo forward/backward differential-picture compression wherein differences between each third picture and a timewise preceding encoded picture and a timewise succeeding encoded picture are compressed, dividing each of said pictures into blocks each having a predetermined size, and encoding each of said blocks by one of said intra-picture compression, said forward differential picture compression and said forward/backward differential picture compression, said scene-change-point detection apparatus comprising:

• means for counting the number of blocks in a picture completing said differential-picture compression, counting the number of blocks in said picture completing said intra-picture compression and counting the number of blocks in said picture completing no compression;
• and
• means for detecting whether a scene change point exists in said picture based on the counts.

A moving-picture editing/displaying system for editing and displaying a moving picture by decoding, editing and displaying a stored, compressed and coded moving picture, said moving picture being coded according to a moving-picture coding process of dividing said moving picture into groups of pictures each having a first picture to undergo intra-picture compression, a plurality of second pictures each to undergo four differential-picture compression, wherein differences between each second picture and a timewise preceding encoded picture are compressed, and a plurality of third pictures each to undergo forward/backward differential-picture compression, wherein differences between each third picture and timewise proceeding encoded picture and a timewise succeeding encoded picture are compressed, dividing each of said pictures into blocks each having a predetermined size, and encoding each of said blocks by one of said intra-picture compression, said forward differential picture compression and forward/backward differential picture compression, said moving-picture editing/displaying system comprising:

• means for specifying a picture position in said moving picture;
• means for searching said moving picture for said specified picture position in a process of decoding said stored, compressed and coded moving picture;
• means for detecting a scene change point preceding said picture position and a scene change point succeeding said picture position,
• said detecting means comprises:
• means for counting the number of blocks in a picture completing said differential-picture compression, counting the number of blocks in said picture completing said intra-picture compression, and counting the number of blocks in said picture completing no compression, and
• means for detecting whether a scene-change-point exists in said picture based on the counts;
• and
• means for displaying pictures starting with a picture at said scene change point preceding said picture position and ending with a picture at said scene change point succeeding said picture position.

A computer program stored on a storage medium for detecting a scene change point in a moving picture which has been coded according to a moving-picture coding process of dividing said moving picture into groups of pictures each having a first picture to undergo intra-picture compression, a plurality of second pictures each to undergo forward differential-picture compression, wherein differences between each second picture and a timewise preceding encoded picture are compressed and a plurality of third pictures each to undergo forward/backward differential-picture compression wherein differences between each third picture and a timewise preceding encoded picture and a timewise succeeding encoded picture are compressed, dividing each of said pictures into blocks each having a predetermined size, and encoding each of said blocks by one of said intra-picture compression, said forward differential picture compression and said forward/backward differential picture compression, said computer program when executed by a computer causes said computer to perform the steps of:

• counting the number of blocks in a picture completing said differential-picture compression, counting the number of blocks in said picture completing said intra-picture compression and counting the number of blocks in said picture completing no compression;
• and
• detecting whether a scene change point exists in said picture based on the counts.

A computer program stored on a storage medium for editing and displaying a moving picture by decoding, editing and displaying a stored, compressed and coded moving picture, said moving picture being coded according to a moving-picture coding process of dividing said moving picture into groups of pictures each having a first picture to undergo intra-picture compression, a plurality of second pictures each to undergo four differential-picture compression, wherein differences between each second picture and a timewise preceding encoded picture are compressed, and a plurality of third pictures each to undergo forward/backward differential-picture compression, wherein differences between each third picture and timewise proceeding encoded picture and a timewise succeeding encoded picture are compressed, dividing each of said pictures into blocks each having a predetermined size, and encoding each of said blocks by one of said intra-picture compression, said forward differential picture compression and forward/backward differential picture compression, said computer program when executed by a computer causes said computer to perform the steps of:

• specifying a picture position in said moving picture;
• searching said moving picture for said specified picture position in a process of decoding said stored, compressed and coded moving picture;
• detecting a scene change point preceding said picture position and a scene change point succeeding said picture position, said detecting step comprises the steps of:
• counting the number of blocks in a picture completing said differential-picture compression, counting the number of blocks in said picture completing said intra-picture compression, and counting the number of blocks in said picture completing no compression, and
• detecting whether a scene-change-point exists in said picture based on the counts;
• and
• displaying pictures starting with a picture at said scene change point preceding said picture position and ending with a picture at said scene change point succeeding said picture position.

data structure, stored on a machine readable storage medium, said data structure when operated on causes a scene-change-point detection apparatus to detect a scene change point in a moving picture which has been coded according to a moving-picture coding process of dividing said moving picture into groups of pictures each having a first picture to undergo intra-picture compression, a plurality of second pictures each undergo forward differential-picture compression, wherein differences between each second picture and a timewise preceding encoded picture are compressed, and a plurality of third pictures each to undergo forward/backward differential-picture compression, wherein differences between each third picture and a timewise preceding encoded picture and a timewise succeeding encoded picture are compressed, dividing each of said pictures into blocks each having a predetermined size, and encoding each of said blocks by one of said intra-picture compression, said forward differential picture compression and said forward/backward differential picture compression, said data structure comprising:

• a first count of the number of blocks in a picture completing said differential-picture compression;
• a second count of the number of blocks in said picture completing said intra-picture compression,
• a third count of the number of blocks in said picture completing no compression,
• wherein said scene-change-point detection apparatus detects whether a scene change point exists in said picture based on the counts.