Video-audio recording apparatus and method, and video-audio reproducing apparatus and method

A video-audio recording method of recording a video signal obtained by photographing an object and an audio signal obtained by collecting ambient sounds around a photographer (300) including a sound from the object, comprising:

• a photographing step (S155) of photographing the object;
• a switching step (S151) of switching a binaural microphone (3) attached to the ears of the photographer (300) and a microphone other than the binaural microphone (3) from one to the other as a microphone to collect the ambient sounds;
• a video processing step (S156) of processing the video signal from the object;
• an audio processing step (S156) of processing the audio signal provided by the microphone that collects the ambient sounds;
• a flag generating step (S158) of generating, when the switching step (S151) chooses the binaural microphone (3) as a microphone to collect the ambient sounds, a binaural flag signal indicating that an ambient sound collecting mode is a binaural mode;
• and
• a recording step (S161) of recording, on a recording medium (44), the video signal processed in the video processing step (S156), the audio signal processed in the audio processing step (S156), and the binaural flag signal.

A video-audio reproducing apparatus (101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107) for reproducing a recording medium (44) that stores a video signal obtained by photographing an object and an audio signal obtained by collecting ambient sounds around a photographer (300) including a sound from the object, comprising:

• a reproducer (14) to reproduce a record signal recorded on the recording medium;
• a separator (15) to separate the video signal and audio signal from the record signal reproduced by the reproducer (14);
• a video processor (16) to process the video signal separated by the separator (15);
• an audio processor (26) to process the audio signal separated by the separator (15);
• a flag taker (36) to take a binaural flag signal from the recording medium (44) if the recording medium (44) has the binaural flag signal indicating that a binaural microphone attached to the ears of the photographer (300) has been used as a microphone to collect the ambient sounds;
• and
• a crosstalk canceler (27) to process, if the flag taker (36) takes the binaural flag signal, the audio signal so as to cancel a crosstalk signal that may occur when the audio signal processed in the audio processor (26) is output through a speaker (53, 54),
• the crosstalk canceler (27) having a filter (272a to 272d) to carry out a convolution operation on the audio signal according to a predetermined filter characteristic that is based on a head transfer function measured from an audio signal produced by collecting a calibration signal with a pair of microphones attached to a cylindrical structure.

A video-audio reproducing method of reproducing a recording medium (44) that stores a video signal obtained by photographing an object and an audio signal obtained by collecting ambient sounds around a photographer (300) including a sound from the object, comprising:

• a reproducing step (S181) of reproducing a record signal recorded on the recording medium (44);
• a separating step (S183) of separating the video signal and audio signal from the record signal reproduced in the reproducing step;
• a video processing step (S184) of processing the video signal separated in the separating step (S183);
• an audio processing step (S184) of processing the audio signal separated in the separating step (S183);
• a flag taking step (S186) of taking a binaural flag signal from the recording medium (44) if the recording medium (44) has the binaural flag signal indicating that a binaural microphone attached to the ears of the photographer (300) has been used as a microphone to collect the ambient sounds;
• and
• a crosstalk canceling step (S188) of processing, if the flag taking step (S186) takes the binaural flag signal, the audio signal so as to cancel a crosstalk signal that may occur when the audio signal processed in the audio processing step (S184) is output through a speaker (53, 54),
• the crosstalk canceling step (S188) being a step of carrying out a convolution operation on the audio signal according to a predetermined filter characteristic that is based on a head transfer function measured from an audio signal produced by collecting a calibration signal with a pair of microphones attached to a cylindrical structure.

A video-audio recording and reproducing apparatus (101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 107) for recording and reproducing a video signal obtained by photographing an object and an audio signal obtained by collecting ambient sounds around a photographer (300) including a sound from the object, comprising:

• a camera unit (11) to photograph the object;
• a switching unit (Sw1) to switch a binaural microphone (3) attached to the ears of the photographer (300) and a microphone other than the binaural microphone (3) from one to the other as a microphone to collect the ambient sounds;
• a first video processor (12) to process the video signal provided by the camera unit (11);
• a first audio processor (22) to process the audio signal provided by the microphone that collects the ambient sounds;
• a flag generator (42) to generate, when the switching unit (Sw1) chooses the binaural microphone (3) as a microphone to collect the ambient sounds, a binaural flag signal indicating that an ambient sound collecting mode is a binaural mode;
• a recorder (14) to record, on a recording medium, the video signal processed in the first video processor (12), the audio signal processed in the first audio processor (22) and output from the binaural microphone (3) that collects the ambient sounds having a binaural audio characteristic determined by a positional relationship between the head (30) of the photographer (300) and the binaural microphone (3), and the binaural flag signal when the switching unit (Sw1) switches to the binaural microphone (3) attached to the ears of the photographer (300) as the microphone to collect the ambient sounds;
• a reproducer (14) to reproduce a record signal recorded on the recording medium;
• a separator (15) to separate the video signal and audio signal from the record signal reproduced by the reproducer (14);
• a second video processor (16) to process the video signal separated by the separator (15);
• a second audio processor (26) to process the audio signal separated by the separator (15);
• a flag taker (36) to take a binaural flag signal from the recording medium (44) if the recording medium (44) has the binaural flag signal indicating that a binaural microphone attached to the ears of the photographer (300) has been used as a microphone to collect the ambient sounds;
• and
• a crosstalk canceler (27) to process, if the flag taker (36) takes the binaural flag signal, the audio signal so as to cancel a crosstalk signal that may occur when the audio signal processed in the second audio processor (26) is output through a speaker (53, 54),
• the crosstalk canceler (27) having a filter (272a to 272d) to carry out a convolution operation on the audio signal according to a predetermined filter characteristic that is based on a head transfer function measured from an audio signal produced by collecting a calibration signal with a pair of microphones attached to a surface of a cylindrical structure.

A video-audio recording and reproducing method of recording and reproducing a video signal obtained by photographing an object and an audio signal obtained by collecting ambient sounds around a photographer (300) including a sound from the object, comprising:

• a photographing step (S155) of photographing the object;
• a switching step (S151) of switching a binaural microphone (3) attached to the ears of the photographer (300) and a microphone other than the binaural microphone (3) from one to the other as a microphone to collect the ambient sounds;
• a first video processing step (S156) of processing the video signal from the object;
• a first audio processing step (S156) of processing the audio signal provided by the microphone that collects the ambient sounds;
• a flag generating step (S158) of generating, when the switching step (S151) chooses the binaural microphone (3) as a microphone to collect the ambient sounds, a binaural flag signal indicating that an ambient sound collecting mode is a binaural mode;
• a recording step (S161) of recording, on a recording medium (44), the video signal processed in the video processing step (S156), the audio signal processed in the audio processing step (S156) and output from the binaural microphone (3) that collects the ambient sounds having a binaural audio characteristic determined by a positional relationship between the head (30) of the photographer (300) and the binaural microphone (3), and the binaural flag signal when the switching step (S151) switches to the binaural microphone (3) attached to the ears of the photographer (300) as the microphone to collect the ambient sounds;
• a reproducing step (S181) of reproducing a record signal recorded on the recording medium (44);
• a separating step (S183) of separating the video signal and audio signal from the record signal reproduced in the reproducing step;
• a second video processing step (S184) of processing the video signal separated in the separating step (S183);
• a second audio processing step (S184) of processing the audio signal separated in the separating step (S183);
• a flag taking step (S186) of taking a binaural flag signal from the recording medium (44) if the recording medium (44) has the binaural flag signal indicating that a binaural microphone attached to the ears of the photographer (300) has been used as a microphone to collect the ambient sounds;
• and
• a crosstalk canceling step (S188) of processing, if the flag taking step (S186) takes the binaural flag signal, the audio signal so as to cancel a crosstalk signal that may occur when the audio signal processed in the second audio processing step (S184) is output through a speaker (53, 54),
• the crosstalk canceling step (S188) being a step of carrying out a convolution operation on the audio signal according to a predetermined filter characteristic that is based on a head transfer function measured from an audio signal produced by collecting a calibration signal with a pair of microphones attached to a surface of a cylindrical structure.