Video information recording and reproduction apparatus and method as well as video tape

Claim 2

A video information recording and reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises display means (21) for displaying the index still picture information recorded at the top portion of the video tape and reproduced by said video information recording and reproduction means (2).

Claim 3

A video information recording and reproduction apparatus, characterized in that it comprises video information recording and reproduction means (2) for recording and reproducing video picture information onto and from a video tape, and an index picture production section (3) which includes storage means (13) for storing compressed index picture information and recording setting conditions, and a microcomputer (16b) for extracting the video picture information (44) recorded by said video information recording and reproduction means at designated extraction timings, successively compressing, decoding and storing the extracted video picture information into said storage means, storing the recording setting conditions obtained from said video information recording and reproduction means into said storage means, successively reading out, decompressing and decoding the compressed index picture information stored in said storage means to form still pictures, adding the recording setting conditions from said storage means to the still pictures and outputting the still pictures together with the recording setting conditions, and which supplies the index still picture information (45) successively outputted from said microcomputer having the recording setting conditions added thereto to said video information recording and reproduction means so that the index still picture information with the recording setting conditions added thereto may be successively recorded into a top portion of the video tape by said video information recording and reproduction means.

Claim 4

A video information recording and reproduction apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a video tuner (11c) or an external apparatus (11e) for obtaining video picture information, video information recording and reproduction means (2) for recording and reproducing the video picture information onto and from a video tape, and an index picture production section (3) which includes a picture memory (13) for storing compressed index picture information, and a microcomputer (16b) for extracting the video picture information inputted thereto at designated extraction timings, successively compressing, decoding and storing the extracted video picture information into said picture memory, successively reading out, decompressing and decoding the compressed index picture information stored in said picture memory to form still pictures and outputting the still pictures, and that one of the video picture information (41) obtained from said video tuner or said external apparatus and a reproduced video picture information (42) obtained from said video information recording and reproduction means (2) by reproduction is selectively inputted to said index picture production section, and the video picture information (41) obtained from said video tuner (11c) or said external apparatus (11e) and the index still picture information (45) outputted from said index picture production section are inputted to said video information recording and reproduction means so as to be recorded onto the video tape.

Claim 5

A video information recording and reproduction apparatus, characterized in that it comprises video information recording and reproduction means (2) for recording and reproducing video picture information onto and from a video tape, and index picture production means (3) which includes storage means (13) for storing compressed index picture information, and a microcomputer (16b) for extracting the video information (44) recorded by said video information recording and reproduction means at designated extraction timings, successively compressing, decoding and storing the extracted video picture information into said storage means, successively reading out the compressed index picture information stored in said storage means, converting the read out compressed index picture information into information of a form wherein a plurality of reduced index screens are arranged per one screen and successively outputting the information obtained by the conversion as still pictures each continuously for a predetermined period of time, and which supplies the plurality of arranged index still pictures (45) outputted successively from said microcomputer each for the predetermined period of time to said video information recording and reproduction means so as to be successively recorded into a top portion of the video tape by said video information recording and reproduction means (2).

Claim 6

A video information recording and reproduction apparatus, characterized in that it comprises video information recording and reproduction means (2) for recording and reproducing video picture information onto and from a video tape, and index picture production means (3) which includes storage means (13) for storing compressed index picture information, and a microcomputer (16b) for extracting the video information recorded by said video information recording and reproduction means at designated extraction timings, successively storing the extracted video information into a frame memory (17, 18), successively compressing, decoding and storing the video picture information stored in said frame memory into said storage means, converting the compressed index picture information stored in said storage means into information of a form wherein a plurality of reduced index screens are arranged per one screen and successively storing the information obtained by the conversion as still pictures into said frame memory (17, 18), and which successively outputs the plurality of thus arranged index still pictures (44) stored in said frame memory each for a predetermined period of time to said video information recording and reproduction means (2) so as to be successively recorded into a top portion of the video tape by said video information recording and reproduction means each continuously for the predetermined period of time.

Claim 7

A video information recording and reproduction apparatus, characterized in that it comprises video information recording and reproduction means (2) for recording and reproducing video picture information onto and from a video tape, index picture production means (3) which includes storage means (13) for storing compressed index picture information, and a microcomputer (16b) for extracting the video information (44) recorded by said video information recording and reproduction means at designated extraction timings, successively compressing, decoding and storing the extracted video picture information into said storage means, successively reading out the compressed index picture information stored in said storage means, converting the read out compressed index picture information into information of a form wherein a plurality of reduced index screens are arranged per one screen and successively outputting the information obtained by the conversion as still pictures each continuously for a predetermined period of time, and which supplies the plurality of arranged index still pictures (45) outputted successively from said microcomputer each for the predetermined period of time to said video information recording and reproduction means so as to be successively recorded into a top portion of the video tape by said video information recording and reproduction means (2), display means (21) for individually displaying the plurality of arranged index still pictures recorded at the top portion of the video tape and reproduced by said video information recording and reproduction means, and control means (16a) for designating a desired one of the plurality of arranged index still pictures displayed on said display means and feeding the video tape to a position at which the video information corresponding to the designated index picture is recorded.

Claim 8

A video information recording and reproduction apparatus, characterized in that it comprises video information recording and reproduction means (2) for recording and reproducing video picture information onto and from a video tape, index picture production means (3) which includes storage means (13) for storing compressed index picture information, and a microcomputer (16b) for extracting the video information (44) recorded by said video information recording and reproduction means at designated extraction timings, successively compressing, decoding and storing the extracted video picture information into said storage means, successively reading out the compressed index picture information stored in said storage means, converting the read out compressed index picture information into information of a form wherein a plurality of reduced index screens are arranged per one screen and successively outputting the information obtained by the conversion as still pictures each continuously for a predetermined period of time, and which supplies the plurality of arranged index still pictures (45) outputted successively from said microcomputer each for the predetermined period of time to said video information recording and reproduction means (2) so as to be successively recorded into a top portion of the video tape by said video information recording and reproduction means (2), display means (21) for individually displaying the plurality of arranged index still pictures recorded at the top portion of the video tape and obtained by reproduction in a recording mode by said video information recording and reproduction means, and control means (16, 30, 31, 15) for designating a desired one of the plurality of arranged index still pictures obtained by reproduction of the top portion of the video tape in a recording mode and displayed on said display means, feeding the video tape to a position at which the video information corresponding to the designated index picture is recorded to record the new video information onto the video tape and inputting the new video information to said index picture production means.

Claim 9

A video information recording and reproduction apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that said control means (16, 30, 31, 15) inputs, to said index picture production means, the plurality of recorded arranged index still pictures recorded at the top portion of the video tape obtained by reproduction by said video information recording and reproduction means (3), and that said index picture production means (3) forms, in addition to the plurality of recorded arranged index still pictures inputted by said control means, a plurality of arranged index still pictures corresponding to the new video information by said microcomputer.

Claim 11

A video tape on which video information is recorded, characterized in that index picture information extracted from the video information is recorded as an index in the same signal form as the video information at a top portion of said video tape.

Claim 12

A video tape on which video information is recorded, characterized in that index picture information extracted from the video information is recorded as an index in the same signal form as the video information at a top portion of said video tape, and recording setting conditions of the video information are recorded at the top portion of said video tape.

Claim 13

A video tape on which video information is recorded, characterized in that index picture information extracted from the video information is recorded as an index in the same signal form as the video information at a top portion of said video tape, and recording setting conditions of the video information are recorded at a portion of said video tape at which the recording setting conditions do not deteriorate the video information.