Visual telephone

Abstract

A video telephone is provided which makes it possible to speak while seeing a motion picture of a partner side and while protecting the portrait right of a calling party using the video telephone as the need arises. At the time of communication, an image pickup unit () pickups a photogenic subject () such as a calling party and peripheral environment etc. A pickup signal processing unit () processes a pickup signal corresponding to an image of the photogenic subject () pickup by the image pickup unit () to thereby generate a pickup image signal. A portrait right correspondence image processing unit () subjects the pickup image signal to an image modification processing such as a defocusing processing so as to protect the portrait right of the calling party. An image signal selection unit () is selectively operated, in accordance with an operational instruction based on the determination of the calling party, to transmit a modified image signal subjected to the image modification processing or to transmit the pickup image signal as it is. A communication unit () transmits the pickup image signal from the pickup signal processing unit () or the modified image signal from the portrait right correspondence image processing unit ().