Image generating method and apparatus and image processing method and apparatus

Abstract

An image processing method and apparatus and an image generating method and apparatus, the image processing method to output a video data being a two-dimensional (2D) image as the 2D image or a three-dimensional (3D) image including: extracting information about the video data from metadata associated with the video data; and outputting the video data as the 2D image or the 3D image by using the extracted information about the video data.

1 . An image processing method to output video data having two-dimensional (2D) images as the 2D images or three-dimensional (3D) images, the image processing method comprises:
 extracting, by an image processing apparatus, information about the video data from metadata associated with the video data; and   outputting, by the image processing apparatus, the video data as selectable between the 2D image and the 3D image according to the extracted information about the video data,   wherein the information about the video data includes information to classify frames of the video data into predetermined units.   
     
     
         2 . The image processing method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the information to classify the frames of the video data into the predetermined units is shot information to classify, as a shot, a group of frames in which a background composition of a current frame is predictable by using a previous frame preceding the current frame in the group of frames. 
     
     
         3 . The image processing method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the shot information comprises output moment information of a frame being output first from among the group of frames classified as the shot and/or output moment information of a frame being output last from among the group of frames classified as the shot. 
     
     
         4 . The image processing method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein:
 the metadata comprises shot type information indicating whether the group of frames classified as the shot are to be output as the 2D image or the 3D image; and   the outputting of the video data comprises outputting the group of frames classified as the shot as the 2D image or the 3D image according to the shot type information.   
     
     
         5 . The image processing method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the outputting of the video data comprises:
 according to the metadata, determining that a current frame is classified as a new shot as compared to a previous frame preceding the current frame when a background composition of the current frame is not predictable by using the previous frame;   when the current frame is classified as the new shot, outputting the current frame as the 2D image; and   converting other frames of a group of frames classified as the new shot into the 3D image and outputting the converted 3D image.   
     
     
         6 . The image processing method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the outputting of the video data comprises:
 according to the metadata, determining that a current frame is classified as a new shot as compared to a previous frame preceding the current frame when a background composition of the current frame is not predictable by using the previous frame;   when the current frame is classified as the new shot, extracting background depth information to be applied to the current frame classified as the new shot from the metadata; and   when the current frame is classified as the new shot, generating a depth map for the current frame by using the background depth information.   
     
     
         7 . The image processing method as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein:
 the background depth information comprises coordinate point values of a background of the current frame, depth values respectively corresponding to the coordinate point values, and a panel position value; and   the generating of the depth map for the current frame comprises generating the depth map for the background of the current frame by using the coordinate point values, the depth values, and the panel position value that represents a depth value of an output screen.   
     
     
         8 . The image processing method as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising reading the metadata from a disc recorded with the video data or downloading the metadata from a server through a communication network. 
     
     
         9 . The image processing method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the metadata comprises identification information to identify the video data, and the identification information comprises a disc identifier (ID) to identify a disc recorded with the video data and a title ID to indicate a title including the video data from among a plurality of titles recorded in the disc identified by the disc ID. 
     
     
         10 . An image generating method comprising:
 receiving, by an image generating apparatus, video data as two-dimensional (2D) images; and   generating, by the image generating apparatus, metadata associated with the video data, the metadata comprising information to classify frames of the video data as predetermined units and used to determine whether each of the classified frames is to be converted to a three-dimensional (3D) image,   wherein the information to classify the frames of the video data as the predetermined units comprises shot information to classify a group of frames, as a shot, in which a background composition of a current frame is predictable by using a previous frame preceding the current frame in the group of frames.   
     
     
         11 . The image generating method as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the shot information comprises output moment information of a frame being output first from among the group of frames classified as the shot, output moment information of a frame being output last from among the group of frames classified as the shot, and/or shot type information indicating whether the group of frames classified as the shot are to be output as the 2D image or the 3D image. 
     
     
         12 . The image generating method as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein:
 the metadata further comprises background depth information for the group of frames classified as the predetermined shot; and   the background depth information comprises coordinate point values of a background of the group of frames classified as the predetermined shot, depth values corresponding to the coordinate point values, and a panel position value that represents a depth value of an output screen.   
     
     
         13 . An image processing apparatus to output video data having two-dimensional (2D) images as the 2D images or three-dimensional (3D) images, the image processing apparatus comprising:
 a metadata analyzing unit to determine whether the video data is to be output as the 2D image or the 3D image by using metadata associated with the video data;   a 3D image converting unit to convert the video data into the 3D image when the metadata analyzing unit determines that the video data is to be output as the 3D image; and   an output unit to output the video data as the 2D image or the 3D image according to the determination of the metadata analyzing unit,   wherein the metadata includes information to classify frames of the video data into predetermined units.   
     
     
         14 . The image processing apparatus as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the information to classify the frames of the video data into the predetermined units comprises shot information to classify, as a shot, a group of frames in which a background composition of a current frame is predictable by using a previous frame preceding the current frame in the group of frames. 
     
     
         15 . The image processing apparatus as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the shot information comprises output moment information of a frame being output first from among the group of frames classified as the shot and/or output moment information of a frame being output last from among the group of frames classified as the shot. 
     
     
         16 . The image processing apparatus as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein:
 the metadata comprises shot type information indicating whether the group of frames classified as the shot are to be output as the 2D image or the 3D image; and   the metadata analyzing unit determines whether the group of frames classified as the shot are to be output as the 2D image or the 3D image according to the shot type information.   
     
     
         17 . The image processing apparatus as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the metadata analyzing unit determines, according to the metadata, that a current frame is classified as a new shot as compared to a previous frame preceding the current frame when a background composition of the current frame is not predictable by using the previous frame, determines that the current frame is to be output as the 2D image when the current frame is classified as the new shot, and determines that the current frame is to be output as the 3D image when the current frame is not classified as the new shot. 
     
     
         18 . The image processing apparatus as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein:
 the metadata analyzing unit determines, according to the metadata, that a current frame is classified as a new shot as compared to a previous frame preceding the current frame when a background composition of the current frame is not predictable by using the previous frame; and   when the current frame is classified as the new shot, the 3D image converting unit extracts background depth information to be applied to the current frame classified as the new shot from the metadata and generates a depth map for the current frame by using the background depth information.   
     
     
         19 . The image processing apparatus as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein:
 the background depth information comprises coordinate point values of a background of the current frame, depth values respectively corresponding to the coordinate point values, and a panel position value that represents a depth value of an output screen; and   the 3D image converting unit generates the depth map for a background of the current frame by using the coordinate point values of the background of the current frame, the depth values respectively corresponding to the coordinate point values, and the panel position value.   
     
     
         20 . The image processing apparatus as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the metadata is read from a disc recorded with the video data or downloaded from a server through a communication network. 
     
     
         21 . The image processing apparatus as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the metadata comprises identification information to identify the video data, and the identification information comprises a disc identifier (ID) to identify a disc recorded with the video data and a title ID to indicate a title including the video data from among a plurality of titles recorded in the disc identified by the disc ID. 
     
     
         22 . An image generating apparatus comprising:
 a video data encoding unit to encode video data as two-dimensional (2D) images;   a metadata generating unit to generate metadata associated with the video data, the metadata comprising information to classify frames of the video data as predetermined units and used to determine whether each of the classified frames is to be converted to a three-dimensional (3D) image; and   a metadata encoding unit to encode the metadata,   wherein the information to classify the frames of the video data as the predetermined units comprises shot information to classify, as a shot, a group of frames in which a background composition of a current frame is predictable by using a previous frame preceding the current frame in the group of frames.   
     
     
         23 . The image generating apparatus as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein the shot information comprises output moment information of a frame being output first from among the group of frames classified as the shot, output moment information of a frame being output last from among the group of frames classified as the shot, and/or includes shot type information indicating whether the group of frames classified as the shot are to be output as the 2D image or the 3D image. 
     
     
         24 . The image generating apparatus as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein:
 the metadata further comprises background depth information for the group of frames classified as the predetermined shot; and   the background depth information comprises coordinate point values of a background of the group of frames classified as the predetermined shot, depth values corresponding to the coordinate point values, and a panel position value that represents a depth value of an output screen.   
     
     
         25 . A computer-readable information storage medium comprising:
 video data recorded as two-dimensional (2D) images; and   metadata associated with the video data, the metadata comprising information used by an image processing apparatus to classify frames of the video data as predetermined units and used by the image processing apparatus to determine whether each of the classified frames is to be converted by the image processing apparatus to a three-dimensional (3D) image,   wherein the information to classify the frames of the video data as the predetermined units comprises shot information used by the used by the image processing apparatus to classify, as a shot, a group of frames in which a background composition of a current frame is predictable by using a previous frame preceding the current frame in the group of frames.   
     
     
         26 . The computer-readable information storage medium as claimed in  claim 25 , wherein the shot information comprises output moment information of a frame being output first from among the group of frames classified as the shot, output moment information of a frame being output last from among the group of frames classified as the shot, and/or shot type information indicating whether the group of frames classified as the shot are to be output as the 2D image or the 3D image. 
     
     
         27 . The computer-readable information storage medium as claimed in  claim 25 , wherein:
 the metadata further comprises background depth information for the group of frames classified as the predetermined shot; and   the background depth information comprises coordinate point values of a background of the group of frames classified as the predetermined shot, depth values corresponding to the coordinate point values, and a panel position value that represents to the image processing apparatus a depth value of an output screen.   
     
     
         28 . A computer-readable information storage medium having recorded thereon a program to execute the image processing method of  claim 1  and implemented by the image processing apparatus. 
     
     
         29 . A computer-readable information storage medium having recorded thereon a program to execute the image generating method of  claim 10  and implemented by the image generating apparatus.