The present disclosure relates to a video/audio reproduction device, a video/audio reproduction method, and a recording medium.
With reference to
As shown in
The present disclosure provides a video/audio reproduction device, a video/audio reproduction method, and a recording medium that facilitate viewer's adjusting image quality and sound quality to suit such viewer.
The video/audio reproduction device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a video/audio reproduction device that adjusts a common parameter associated with a plurality of individual parameters to adjust image quality and sound quality. Such video/audio reproduction device includes: a parameter output unit that accepts an input of the common parameter and outputs a first individual parameter and a second individual parameter that are associated with the common parameter inputted, among the plurality of individual parameters; an image quality adjustment unit that adjusts the image quality in accordance with the first individual parameter outputted; and a sound quality adjustment unit that adjusts the sound quality in accordance with the second individual parameter outputted. Here, the first individual parameter is at least one image quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter, and the second individual parameter is at least one sound quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter.
The video/audio reproduction method according to another aspect of the present disclosure is a video/audio reproduction method, including: accepting an input of a common parameter associated with a plurality of individual parameters; outputting a first individual parameter and a second individual parameter that are associated with the common parameter inputted, among the plurality of individual parameters; adjusting image quality in accordance with the first individual parameter outputted; and adjusting sound quality in accordance with the second individual parameter outputted. Here, the first individual parameter is an image quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter, and the second individual parameter is a sound quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter.
A program according to further another aspect of the present disclosure is a program that causes a computer to execute: accepting an input of a common parameter associated with a plurality of individual parameters; outputting a first individual parameter and a second individual parameter that are associated with the common parameter inputted, among the plurality of individual parameters; adjusting image quality in accordance with the first individual parameter outputted; and adjusting sound quality in accordance with the second individual parameter outputted. Here, the first individual parameter is an image quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter, and the second individual parameter is a sound quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter.
The recording medium according to further another aspect of the present disclosure is a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium which stores a control program, the recording medium being a nonvolatile recording medium that causes a processor to execute: accepting an input of a common parameter associated with a plurality of individual parameters; outputting a first individual parameter and a second individual parameter that are associated with the common parameter inputted, among the plurality of individual parameters; adjusting image quality in accordance with the first individual parameter outputted; and adjusting sound quality in accordance with the second individual parameter outputted. Here, the first individual parameter is an image quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter, and the second individual parameter is a sound quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter.
Note that these comprehensive or specific aspects may be implemented as a system, a device, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium, or may be implemented as any combination of a system, a device a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a nonvolatile recording medium such as a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM).
The video/audio reproduction device and so forth according to the present disclosure facilitate viewer's adjusting image quality and sound quality to suit such viewer.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings that illustrate a specific embodiment of the present disclosure.
As described in the section of “Background”, the inventors have studied the technologies for adjusting image quality and sound quality in accordance with the degree of aging of a viewer. The inventors have put a special focus on the technologies of PTL 1, PTL 2 and so forth to find that there is no technology for adjusting image quality and sound quality in conduction with each other to suit the physical condition of a viewer, and studied such technology. The inventors have conducted an intensive study to conceive a video/audio reproduction device and so forth as described below.
The video/audio reproduction device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a video/audio reproduction device that adjusts a common parameter associated with a plurality of individual parameters to adjust image quality and sound quality, the video/audio reproduction device including: a parameter output unit that accepts an input of the common parameter and outputs a first individual parameter and a second individual parameter that are associated with the common parameter inputted, among the plurality of individual parameters; an image quality adjustment unit that adjusts the image quality in accordance with the first individual parameter outputted; and a sound quality adjustment unit that adjusts the sound quality in accordance with the second individual parameter outputted. Here, the first individual parameter is at least one image quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter, and the second individual parameter is at least one sound quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter.
According to the above aspect, the video/audio reproduction device accepts an input of the common parameter requested by the viewer, thereby adjusting the image and the sound to have image quality and sound quality requested by the user. This thus facilitates viewer's adjusting the image quality and the sound quality to suit such viewer.
In the video/audio reproduction device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the common parameter may include a first common parameter associated with the first individual parameter and a second common parameter associated with the second individual parameter, and the parameter output unit may accept inputs of the first common parameter and the second common parameter, and output the first individual parameter associated with the first common parameter inputted and the second individual parameter associated with the second common parameter inputted.
According to the above aspect, the video/audio reproduction device accepts inputs of the first common parameter and the second common parameter requested by the viewer, thereby individually adjusting the image and the sound to have image quality and sound quality requested by the user. This thus enables the viewer to individually adjust the image quality and the sound quality to suit such viewer.
In the video/audio reproduction device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the common parameter may be a parameter representing an age level of a target viewer.
According to the above aspect, the age of the viewer serves as the criterion for determining the common parameter. This thus enables the viewer to easily set the common parameter in accordance with the physical condition of such viewer.
In the video/audio reproduction device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the first individual parameter may be an image quality adjustment parameter that changes the image quality to compensate for an aging-related decline in vision, the second individual parameter may be a sound quality adjustment parameter that changes the sound quality to compensate for an aging-related decline in hearing, and the first individual parameter and the second individual parameter may change in conjunction with each other in response to changes in the common parameter.
The above aspect enables the settings of the image quality adjustment parameter and the sound quality adjustment parameter to, for example, raise the degrees to which the image quality adjustment parameter compensates for an aging-related decline in vision and the sound quality adjustment parameter compensates for an aging-related decline in hearing as the age level corresponding to the value of the common parameter increases. The video/audio reproduction device compensates for an aging-related decline in vision and hearing, thereby enabling the image quality adjustment and the sound quality adjustment to suit the video/audio viewing by the elderly.
In the video/audio reproduction device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the first individual parameter may be a parameter that increases or decreases at least one of a luminance gradation, a luminance contour, and a color tone concerning the image quality, at least one of the luminance gradation, the luminance contour, and the color tone may be increased or decreased to cover an extent that impairs the image quality perceivable by a viewer with normal vision, and the second individual parameter may be a parameter that increases or reduces a dynamic range concerning the sound quality.
According to the above aspect, the first individual parameter is adjusted to cover an extent that impairs the image quality perceivable by a viewer with normal vision. Such extent being associated with levels of the image quality perceivable by the elderly, the first individual parameter achieves image quality that suits the respective age groups from the youth to the elderly. This thus enables a wider range of viewers to use the video/audio reproduction device.
In the video/audio reproduction device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the parameter output unit may increase or decrease the first individual parameter as the age level represented by the common parameter increases, and the parameter output unit may increase or decrease the second individual parameter as the age level represented by the common parameter increases.
According to the above aspect, the first individual parameter and the second individual parameter monotonically increase or decrease with an increase or a decrease in the age level. This thus enables the first individual parameter and the second individual parameter to be associated with the age level in a reliable and easy manner. This configuration also enables the viewer to perceive smooth changes in the image quality and the sound quality that occur by increasing or decreasing the first individual parameter and the second individual parameter.
In the video/audio reproduction device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the parameter output unit may change the first individual parameter to a degree that impairs the image quality perceivable by a viewer with normal vision as the age level represented by the common parameter increases, and the parameter output unit may change the second individual parameter to a degree that impairs the sound quality perceivable by a viewer with normal hearing as the age level represented by the common parameter increases.
In the above aspect, the first individual parameter and the second individual parameter can be changed to degrees that affect the visual and hearing perception of a viewer with normal vision or a viewer with normal hearing. For example, a degree that impairs the image quality perceivable by a viewer with normal vision and a degree that impairs the sound quality perceivable by a viewer with normal hearing may be defined as degrees that affect the visual and hearing perception of the young (e.g., an extent that gives an unpleasant feeling to a young viewer) while not affecting the elderly. In such case, the parameter output unit is capable of outputting the first individual parameter and the second individual parameter that suit the respective age groups from the youth to the elderly.
In the video/audio reproduction device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the first individual parameter may include the at least one image quality adjustment parameter comprising a plurality of image quality adjustment parameters, and the second individual parameter may include the at least one sound quality adjustment parameter comprising a plurality of sound quality adjustment parameters.
According to the above aspect, the video/audio reproduction device adjusts a plurality of image quality adjustment parameters to adjust the image quality and adjusts a plurality of sound quality adjustment parameters to adjust the sound quality. This achieves the image quality adjustment and sound quality adjustment that faithfully reflect the details of the common parameter and suit the viewer.
The video/audio reproduction method according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes: accepting an input of a common parameter associated with a plurality of individual parameters; outputting a first individual parameter and a second individual parameter that are associated with the common parameter inputted, among the plurality of individual parameters; adjusting image quality in accordance with the first individual parameter outputted; and adjusting sound quality in accordance with the second individual parameter outputted. Here, the first individual parameter is an image quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter, and the second individual parameter is a sound quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter. This aspect achieves a similar effect as that of the video/audio reproduction device according to one aspect of the present disclosure.
The program according to further another aspect of the present disclosure is a program that causes a computer to execute: accepting an input of a common parameter associated with a plurality of individual parameters; outputting a first individual parameter and a second individual parameter that are associated with the common parameter inputted, among the plurality of individual parameters; adjusting image quality in accordance with the first individual parameter outputted; and adjusting sound quality in accordance with the second individual parameter outputted. Here, the first individual parameter is an image quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter, and the second individual parameter is a sound quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter. This aspect achieves a similar effect as that of the video/audio reproduction device according to one aspect of the present disclosure.
The recording medium according to further another aspect of the present disclosure is a recording medium which stores a control program, the recording medium being a nonvolatile recording medium that causes a processor to execute: accepting an input of a common parameter associated with a plurality of individual parameters; outputting a first individual parameter and a second individual parameter that are associated with the common parameter inputted, among the plurality of individual parameters; adjusting image quality in accordance with the first individual parameter outputted; and adjusting sound quality in accordance with the second individual parameter outputted. Here, the first individual parameter is an image quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter, and the second individual parameter is a sound quality adjustment parameter that changes in response to changes in the common parameter. This aspect achieves a similar effect as that of the video/audio reproduction device according to one aspect of the present disclosure.
The following describes in detail the embodiments according to the present disclosure with reference to the drawings. Note that all of the following embodiments show a concrete example of the present disclosure. The numerical values, shapes, materials, structural components, the arrangement and connection of the structural components, usage procedure, communication procedure and so forth shown in the following embodiments are mere examples, and thus are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Of the structural components described in the following embodiments, structural components not recited in any one of the independent claims that indicate the broadest concepts of the present disclosure will be described as optional structural components. Note that the drawings are not necessarily precise illustrations. Structural components that are substantially identical are assigned with the same reference marks throughout the drawings, and their description may be omitted or simplified.
A video/audio reproduction device 1 according to Embodiment 1 will be described.
The video/audio reproduction device 1 includes a user interface unit 100, a detection unit 101, a first conversion unit 102, a second conversion unit 103, an image quality adjustment parameter table 104, a sound quality adjustment parameter table 105, an image quality adjustment unit 106, and a sound quality adjustment unit 107. The detection unit 101, the first conversion unit 102, and the second conversion unit 103 constitute a parameter output unit 110.
The user interface unit 100 enables the user to adjust and set a common parameter associated with image quality adjustment parameters and sound quality adjustment parameters to be described later. The user interface unit 100 is operated via at least one of: a device that includes the image display panel 108 and/or the speaker 109; and the remote control 200. The user interface unit 100 obtains information inputted by the user into at least one of the device that includes the image display panel 108 and/or the speaker 109, and the remote control 200, and outputs a signal corresponding to the obtained information to the detection unit 101. An example of such information is information on the common parameter.
Such user interface unit 100 may be implemented as: a display image to be displayed on the image display panel 108; a display panel of the remote control 200; or a display image to be displayed on a display panel of the remote control 200. In these cases, the user interface unit 100 changes the display image in accordance with information inputted by the user via, for example, the device including the image display panel 108 and/or the speaker 109 and the remote control 200, and outputs the resulting signal corresponding to such information. Alternatively, the user interface unit 100 may be implemented as a physical operation device such as a switch, a button, a dial, and a slider arranged in the device that includes the image display panel 108 and/or the speaker 109 or in the remote control 200. In this case, the user interface unit 100 outputs a signal corresponding to an operation inputted by the user into the operation device.
The detection unit 101 detects the information on the common parameter specified via the user interface unit 100, and outputs the detection result to the first conversion unit 102 and the second conversion unit 103. The detection unit 101 detects the information on the common parameter from the information obtained from the user interface unit 100. Examples of the information on the common parameter include a value set to the common parameter. The common parameter according to the present embodiment is a parameter that represents the age level of a target viewer. The common parameter may be represented by a numerical value corresponding to an age level. For example, a greater value may be set to the common parameter as an age level increases.
The first conversion unit 102 converts the value of the common parameter detected by the detection unit 101 into an image quality adjustment parameter. More specifically, the first conversion unit 102 refers to a relationship, which is stored in the image quality adjustment parameter table 104, between the common parameter and the image quality adjustment parameter to determine a value of the image quality adjustment parameter corresponding to the value of the common parameter, and outputs the determined value to the image quality adjustment unit 106.
The second conversion unit 103 converts the value of the common parameter detected by the detection unit 101 into a sound quality adjustment parameter. More specifically, the second conversion unit 103 refers to a relationship, which is stored in the sound quality adjustment parameter table 105, between the common parameter and the sound quality adjustment parameter to determine a value of the sound quality adjustment parameter corresponding to the value of the common parameter, and outputs the determined value to the sound quality adjustment unit 107.
The image quality adjustment parameter table 104 and the sound quality adjustment parameter table 105 are capable of information storage and enable the reading of the information stored. The image quality adjustment parameter table 104 and the sound quality adjustment parameter table 105 are implemented, for example, as: a semiconductor memory such as a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a flash memory; and a recording device such as a hard disk drive and a solid state drive (SSD). The image quality adjustment parameter table 104 stores the value of an image quality adjustment parameter corresponding to the value of the common parameter. The sound quality adjustment parameter table 105 stores the value of a sound quality adjustment parameter corresponding to the value of the common parameter.
The image quality adjustment unit 106 adjusts the image quality of the image signal inputted to the image display panel 108, in accordance with the image quality adjustment parameter being the result outputted from the first conversion unit 102, and outputs the resulting image signal to the image display panel 108.
The sound quality adjustment unit 107 adjusts the sound quality of the sound signal inputted to the speaker 109, in accordance with the sound quality adjustment parameter being the result outputted from the second conversion unit 103, and outputs the resulting sound signal to the speaker 109.
The image display panel 108 displays the image signal adjusted by the image quality adjustment unit 106. The speaker 109 outputs the sound signal adjusted by the sound quality adjustment unit 107.
The structural components of the video/audio reproduction device 1, i.e., the user interface 100, the detection unit 101, the first conversion unit 102, the second conversion unit 103, the image quality adjustment unit 106, and the sound quality adjustment unit 107 may be implemented as a computer system (not illustrated) including a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) and a digital signal processor (DSP), a RAM, a ROM and so forth. The function of one or more, or all of such structural components may be achieved by the CPU or the DSP executing a program recorded on the ROM by use of the RAM as a work memory. Also, the function of one or more, or all of such structural components may be achieved by a dedicated hardware circuit such as an electronic circuit and an integrated circuit. The function of one or more, or all of such structural components may be implemented by a combination of the software function and the hardware circuit described above. The program may be recorded in the ROM in advance, or may be provided as an application over a communication via a communication network such as the Internet, a communication compliant with a mobile communication standard, or other wireless/wired network, as well as over broadcasting and so forth.
Also, the user interface unit 100 and the parameter output unit 110 may be mounted on the same device or on separate devices. In the latter case, the user interface unit 100 and the parameter output unit 110 may be connected to each other over a wireless communication. Also, the parameter output unit 110, the image quality adjustment unit 106, and the sound quality adjustment unit 107 may be mounted on the same device or on separate devices. In the latter case, the parameter output unit 110 and the image quality adjustment unit 106, and the parameter output unit 110 and the sound quality adjustment unit 107, respectively, may be connected to each other over a wireless communication. Examples of the wireless communication include an infrared communication and a radio wave communication. Examples of the radio wave communication include a Near Field Communication such as Bluetooth® and ZigBee®, and a wireless local area network (LAN) such as wireless fidelity (WI-Fi®).
The following describes in detail the common parameter and individual parameters. The common parameter is associated with a plurality of individual parameters. An image quality adjustment parameter is an exemplary first individual parameter among the plurality of individual parameters, and a sound quality adjustment parameter is an exemplary second individual parameter among the plurality of individual parameters.
Image quality adjustment parameters are set to the respective indices. More specifically, an image quality adjustment parameter set including a plurality of image quality adjustment parameters is set to each of the indices. Furthermore, a plurality of parameters for image quality adjustment that are prepared to suit the characteristics of an average eyesight of a user in the age group corresponding to each of the indices are set to each of the indices.
For example,
The values of the image quality adjustment parameters included in the respective image quality adjustment parameter sets turn to excessive values that change the image quality perceivable by a user with normal vision to a degree that impairs the image quality, as the indices shift toward the elderly. The image quality provided by such values of the image quality adjustment parameters is an unacceptable level when, for example, the image quality of a conventionally commercialized television receiver is considered.
Sound quality adjustment parameters are set to the respective indices. More specifically, a sound quality adjustment parameter set including a plurality of sound quality adjustment parameters is set to each of the indices. Furthermore, a plurality of parameters for sound quality adjustment that are prepared to suit the characteristics of an average hearing of a user in the age group corresponding to each of the indices are set to each of the indices. More specifically, each sound quality adjustment parameter set may include, for example, a filter coefficient for correcting the perceptual sensitivity to high-frequency components that declines with increasing aging, and may include parameters prepared on an age group basis to suit the degree of compression in dynamic range compression for correcting over-recruitment that occurs with increasing aging.
For example,
The values of the sound quality adjustment parameters included in the respective sound quality adjustment parameter sets turn to excessive values that change the sound quality perceivable by a user with normal hearing to a degree that impairs the sound quality, as the indices shift toward the elderly. The sound quality provided by such values of the sound quality adjustment parameters is an unacceptable level when, for example, the sound quality of a conventionally commercialized television receiver is considered.
With reference to
To simplify the illustration, the display portion 100a in
Alternatively, instead of using numerical values that represent ages per se or expressions that invoke the images of ages in the display portion 100a, expressions that represent the states of the image quality and the sound quality may be used. For example, in
Note that although
The user interface unit 100 is described as setting the common parameter by controlling the position of the slider 100c that slides to the right and left as shown in
Next, the detection unit 101 obtains the position of the slider 100c from the user interface unit 100 to detect the value of the common parameter corresponding to the obtained position. As shown by the display portion 100a in
Next, the first conversion unit 102 refers to the image quality adjustment parameter table 104, thereby converting the value of the common parameter detected by the detection unit 101 into image quality adjustment parameters, or more specifically, into an image quality adjustment parameter set. The first conversion unit 102 uses as an index the value of the common parameter corresponding to the position of the slider 100c on the age axis 100b to select, from the image quality adjustment parameter table 104, an image quality adjustment parameter set corresponding to such index, and outputs the selected image quality adjustment parameter set to the image quality adjustment unit 106.
When the indices corresponding to a plurality of image quality adjustment parameter sets do not include the index that matches the value of the common parameter corresponding to the position of the slider 100c, for example, the first conversion unit 102 selects an index that is closest to the value of the common parameter to determine the image quality adjustment parameter set corresponding to such selected index. In an example of
Note that as an index approaches closer to values representing higher ages, each image quality adjustment parameter associated with such index turns to an excessive value that changes the image quality perceivable by a viewer with normal vision to a degree that impairs the image quality. The video/audio reproduction device 1 may notify the user of the possibility of image quality impairment. For example, when the values of the image quality adjustment parameters corresponding to the common parameter set by the user reach a level that impairs the image quality perceivable by a viewer with normal vision or a higher level, the video/audio reproduction device 1 may, for example, change the color of the slider 100c or display a message indicating that values have reached the level that impairs the image quality.
After the detection performed by the detection unit 101, the second conversion unit 103 refers to the sound quality adjustment parameter table 105, thereby converting the value of the common parameter detected by the detection unit 101 into sound quality adjustment parameters, or more specifically, into a sound quality adjustment parameter set. The second conversion unit 103 uses as an index the value of the common parameter corresponding to the position of the slider 100c on the age axis 100b to select, from the sound quality adjustment parameter table 105, a sound quality adjustment parameter set corresponding to such index, and outputs the selected sound quality adjustment parameter set to the sound quality adjustment unit 107.
When the indices corresponding to a plurality of sound quality adjustment parameter sets do not include the index that matches the value of the common parameter corresponding to the position of the slider 100c, for example, the second conversion unit 103 selects an index that is closest to the value of the common parameter to determine the sound quality adjustment parameter set corresponding to such selected index. In an example of
Note that as an index approaches closer to values representing higher ages, each sound quality adjustment parameter associated with such index turns to an excessive value that changes the sound quality perceivable by a viewer with normal hearing to a degree that impairs the sound quality. The video/audio reproduction device 1 may notify the user of the possibility of sound quality impairment. For example, the video/audio reproduction device 1 may, for example, change the color of the slider 100c or display a message indicating that values have reached the level that impairs the sound quality, as in the case of the image quality adjustment parameters.
The video/audio reproduction device 1 with the above configuration enables image quality and sound quality to be adjusted and set in a successive manner through the movement, etc. of the slider 100c over a normal adjustment range in which the image quality and the sound quality are not impaired and an excessive adjustment range in which the image quality or the sound quality is impaired. Such video/audio reproduction device 1 provides a user interface capable of coping with physical symptoms known as “aging-related decline” that occur constantly and continuously.
When the user actually views video/audio by the video/audio reproduction device 1 after setting the image quality adjustment parameter set and the sound quality adjustment parameter set in a manner described above, the image quality adjustment unit 106 adjusts the image quality of the image signal to be inputted, in accordance with the image quality adjustment parameter set obtained from the first conversion unit 102, and outputs the resulting image onto the image display panel 108. Here, a method of adjusting the image quality on the basis of the image quality adjustment parameters is a conventionally known method as described in PTL 1, for example, and thus will not be described in detail. At the same time, the sound quality adjustment unit 107 adjusts the sound quality of the sound signal to be inputted, in accordance with the sound quality adjustment parameter set obtained from the second conversion unit 103, and outputs the resulting sound to the speaker 109. Here, a method of adjusting the sound quality on the basis of the sound quality adjustment parameters is a conventionally known method as described in PTL 2, for example, and thus will not be described in detail.
As described above, the video/audio reproduction device 1 according to Embodiment 1 adjusts a common parameter associated with a plurality of individual parameters to adjust image quality and sound quality. The video/audio reproduction device 1 accepts an input of the common parameter and outputs an image quality adjustment parameter and a sound quality adjustment parameter that are associated with the common parameter inputted, adjusts the image quality in accordance with the image quality adjustment parameter outputted, and adjusts the sound quality in accordance with the sound quality adjustment parameter outputted. The image quality adjustment parameter and the sound quality adjustment parameter change in response to changes in the common parameter. The video/audio reproduction device 1 accepts an input of the common parameter requested by the viewer, thereby adjusting the image and the sound to have image quality and sound quality requested by the user. This thus facilitates viewer's adjusting the image quality and the sound quality to suit such viewer.
In the video/audio reproduction device 1 according to Embodiment 1, the common parameter is a parameter representing an age level of a target viewer. This thus enables the viewer to easily set the common parameter in accordance with the physical condition of such viewer, with the age of such viewer serving as the criterion for determining the common parameter.
In the video/audio reproduction device 1 according to Embodiment 1, the image quality adjustment parameter that changes the image quality to compensate for an aging-related decline in vision and the sound quality adjustment parameter that changes the sound quality to compensate for an aging-related decline in hearing change in conjunction with each other in response to changes in the common parameter. This configuration thus enables the settings of the image quality adjustment parameter and the sound quality adjustment parameter to raise the degrees to which the image quality adjustment parameter compensates for an aging-related decline in vision and the sound quality adjustment parameter compensates for an aging-related decline in hearing with an increase in the age level corresponding to the value of the common parameter. The video/audio reproduction device 1 compensates for an aging-related decline in vision and hearing, thereby enabling the image quality adjustment and the sound quality adjustment to suit the video/audio viewing by the elderly.
In the video/audio reproduction device 1 according to Embodiment 1, the image quality adjustment parameter is adjusted to cover an extent that impairs the image quality perceivable by a viewer with normal vision. Such extent being associated with levels of the image quality perceivable by the elderly, the image quality adjustment parameter achieves image quality that suits the respective age groups from the youth to the elderly. This thus enables a wider range of viewers to use the video/audio reproduction device 1.
In the video/audio reproduction device 1 according to Embodiment 1, the image quality adjustment parameter and the sound quality adjustment parameter monotonically increase or decrease with an increase or a decrease in the age level. This thus enables the image quality adjustment parameter and the sound quality adjustment parameter to be associated with the age level in a reliable and easy manner. This configuration also enables the viewer to perceive smooth changes in the image quality and the sound quality that occur by increasing or decreasing the image quality adjustment parameter and the sound quality adjustment parameter.
Furthermore, the image quality adjustment parameter and the sound quality adjustment parameter can be changed to degrees that impair the image quality and the sound quality perceivable by a viewer with normal vision and hearing, respectively, as the age level increases. For example, a degree that impairs the image quality perceivable by a viewer with normal vision and a degree that impairs the sound quality perceivable by a viewer with normal hearing may be defined as degrees that affect the visual and hearing perception of the young (e.g., an extent that gives an unpleasant feeling to a young viewer) while not affecting the elderly. In such case, the values of the image quality adjustment parameter and the sound quality adjustment parameter may be changed to suit the respective age groups from the youth to the elderly. The video/audio reproduction device 1 according to
Embodiment 1 adjusts a plurality of image quality adjustment parameters to adjust the image quality and adjusts a plurality of sound quality adjustment parameters to adjust the sound quality. This achieves the image quality adjustment and sound quality adjustment that faithfully reflect the details of the common parameter and suit the viewer.
The video/audio reproduction device 1 according to Embodiment 1 determines image quality adjustment parameters and sound quality adjustment parameters, at the same time, corresponding to a single common parameter having been set. A video/audio reproduction device 2 according to Embodiment 2 is configured to accept the settings of two common parameters to determine image quality adjustment parameters and sound quality adjustment parameters.
For example, the video/audio reproduction device 1 according to Embodiment 1 adjusts the image quality and the sound quality in conjunction with each other on the assumption that the user's vision and hearing decline in a similar pattern as the user's age level increases. However, such assumption is merely based on an average state among many cases. The progression of aging-related decline in vision and hearing can differ from individual to individual. For example, while some people's eyesight is getting worse, they still have good hearing and the converse often happens. The following describes the video/audio reproduction device 2 according to Embodiment 2 that is capable of coping with such situations, focusing on differences from Embodiment 1.
As shown in
Also, the detection unit 101 according to Embodiment 1 is configured to support one input and one output to accept an output from the user interface unit 100, but the detection unit 701 according to Embodiment 2 is configured to support two inputs and two outputs to accept inputs from the user interface unit 700. The detection unit 701 detects the value of a first common parameter, which is the common parameter corresponding to the position of the slider 700ca, obtained from the user interface unit 700, and outputs the detected value to the first conversion unit 102. The detection unit 701 also detects the value of a second common parameter, which is the common parameter corresponding to the position of the slider 700cb, obtained from the user interface unit 700, and outputs the detected value to the second conversion unit 103. The first conversion unit 102 refers to the image quality adjustment parameter table 104, thereby determining an image quality adjustment parameter set on the basis of the value of the first common parameter. The second conversion unit 103 refers to the sound quality adjustment parameter table 105, thereby determining a sound quality adjustment parameter set on the basis of the value of the second common parameter. Such first common parameter is a common parameter associated with image quality adjustment parameters, and such second common parameter is a common parameter associated with sound quality adjustment parameters.
The other structural components and operation of the video/audio reproduction device 2 according to Embodiment 2 are similar to those according to Embodiment 1 and thus will not be described. The video/audio reproduction device 2 according to Embodiment 2 described above accepts the inputs of the first common parameter and the second common parameter requested by the viewer, thereby individually adjusting the image and the sound to have image quality and sound quality requested by the viewer. This configuration enables the viewer to individually set the age levels of vision and hearing of such viewer, thereby facilitating the adjustment of the image quality and the sound quality that more suit the individual.
The video/audio reproduction device according to one or more aspects has been described above on the basis of the embodiments, but the present disclosure is not limited to such embodiments. One or more aspects according to the present disclosure may include variations achieved by making various modifications and alternations to the embodiments that can be conceived by those skilled in the art without departing from the essence of the present disclosure, and an embodiment achieved by a combination of structural components of a different embodiment.
In the video/audio reproduction device according to each embodiment, the user interface unit associates a common parameter with the age level of the user, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. A common parameter may be associated, for example, with the progression of disease of vision and hearing. Furthermore, image quality adjustment parameters and sound quality adjustment parameters corresponding to the value of the common parameter may also be associated with the progression of disease of vision and hearing. The video/audio reproduction device with such configuration provides images and sound having image quality and sound quality that suit the progression of the user's disease.
In the above description, the video/audio reproduction device according to the embodiments is included in a digital television receiver, but a device including the video/audio reproduction device is not limited to a digital television receiver. The video/audio reproduction device may thus be included in any device capable of reproducing video and audio, such as a DVD player, a Blu-ray® Disc player, and a digital signage.
As mentioned above, the technology according to the present embodiment may be implemented as a system, a device, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a recording disk, or may be implemented as any combination of a system, a device a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a nonvolatile recording medium such as a CD-ROM.
For example, each of the structural components included in the embodiments may be implemented as a large-scale integration (LSI), which is an integrated circuit. The structural components may take the form of individual chips, or one or more or all of the structural components may be encapsulated into a single chip. Such ICs are not limited to LSI. Each of the structural components thus may be implemented as a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. A field programmable gate array (FPGA) that allows for programming after the manufacture of an LSI, or a reconfigurable processor that allows for reconfiguration of the connection and the settings of circuit cells inside an LSI may be employed.
For example, one or more, or all of the above structural components may take the form of a removable integrated circuit (IC) card or a single module. The IC card or module is a computer system that includes a microprocessor, a ROM, a RAM, and so forth. Such IC card or module may include the above-described LSI or system LSI. The microprocessor operating in accordance with a computer program enables the IC card or module to achieve its function. Such IC card and module may be tamper resistant.
For example, the technology according to the present disclosure may be implemented as a software program or digital signals that form a software program, or may be a non-transitory, computer-readable recording medium on which a program is recorded. Such program can be distributed via a transmission medium such as the Internet.
The numerics used in the above description such as the ordinal number, quantity and so forth are all examples to specifically describe the technology according to the present disclosure, and thus the present disclosure is not limited to such example numerics. Also, the connection relationship among the structural components are mere examples to specifically describe the technology according to the present disclosure, and thus a connection relationship required to achieve the function of the present disclosure is not limited to such example connection relationship.
Also, the division of the functional blocks in the block diagrams is an example, and thus a plurality of functional blocks may be implemented as a single functional block, a single functional block may be divided into a plurality of blocks, or one or more functions may be moved to another functional block. Also, the functions of a plurality of functional blocks having similar functions may be processed by single hardware or software in parallel or in a time-shared manner.
Although only some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present disclosure. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.
The technology according to the present disclosure, which is capable of appropriately customizing images and sound to suit a viewer, is applicable for use in a reproduction device such as a television receiver, a DVD player, a Blu-ray® Disc player, and a digital signage.
This is a continuation application of PCT Patent Application No. PCT/JP2017/027745 filed on Jul. 31, 2017, designating the United States of America. The entire disclosure of the above-identified application, including the specification, drawings and claims is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/JP2017/027745 | Jul 2017 | US |
Child | 16775198 | US |