GB2220543A

GB2220543A - Multichannel television receiver

Info

Publication number: GB2220543A
Application number: GB8913679A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kim Chang Sub; Jae Chun Yu
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 1988-06-14
Filing date: 1989-06-14
Publication date: 1990-01-10
Anticipated expiration: 2009-06-14
Also published as: GB2220543B; JPH0296486A; KR920004854B1; JPH07114468B2; GB8913679D0; KR900001238A; DE3919451C2; DE3919451A1

Abstract

A multichannel television receiver has the facility for displaying a group of channels (CHK, CHO, CHL, CHP) from the received plurality of channels in picture-in-picture mode. The groups of channels are selectable by paging up or down the channels stored in a skip memory. If a channel contains no signal then the next channel in the skip memory is substituted. <IMAGE>

Description

MULTICHANNEL TELEVISION SYSTEM This invention relates to TV within TV which has the facility for displaying more than one channel at once. Existing TV within TV system display only one sub-screen in the corner of a main screen. The present invention is concerned with displaying more than one sub-screen in a main screen. It is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with menu type multi channel system in which a user easily selects his favourite channels by executing page up/down in menu, when a main screen is changed into multi-channel display by the existing picture in picture (PIP) function of VTR and TV.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention a sub-screen assigned in the channel which was stored in skip memory is displayed in a main screen in PIP mode, when a multi-channel key on a remote control transmitter is pushed, and the channel which is stored in the next page of skip memory is displayed in menu-type by a page up/down facility. A user can easily select a channel by selecting his favourite channel in a menu mode.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 (A) and (B) are the waveforms for PIP and tuning for the exemplary multichannel embodiment of the present invention; Figure l-(C) is the channel display corresponding to the position of skip memory; Figure 1-(D) and (E) are status diagram of multichannel display which are displayed in a main-screen; Figures 2-(A) and (B) are multichannel strobing time chart and reference time varying chart; Figures 3-(A),(B),(C) and (D) are strobing chart of screen with dividing skip memory into page; Figures 4-(A-l),(A-2),(D-l) and (B-2) are the display chart of main-screen and sub-screen of tuner 1 and tuner 2;; Figures 5-(A),(A-1),(B) and (B-l) are hardware block diagrams of tuner 1 and tuner 2, respectively; Figure 6 is the total hardware block diagram for multichannel operation of this invention; and Figure 7 is flow chart for multichannel operation of this invention.

The following reference numerals are used in the drawings: 501 : T.V. tuner circuit 502, 512 : signal processing circuit of VTR 503, 513 : switch part 504, 514 : PIP processing circuit 518 : input selector of main-screen 511 : output selector of sub-screen 600 : micro computer 610 : OSD IC (On Screen Display Integrated Circuit) 620 : mixer 630 : audio circuit 640 : multiplexor 650 : tuner 1 660 : tuner 2 Multichannel mode is defined as n PIP sub-screens within a main-screen, where each screen data of said PIP sub-screens is fetched from skip memory and displayed on said n PIP sub-screens at the same time.

Multichannel mode can work on the PIP system regardless of tuner 1 and tuner 2. In the case of the multichannel mode, the procedure of PIP control is as follows. When the multichannel key is on, multichannel mode begins to work.

If there is a synchronized signal on a skipping channel during a multichannel mode, the channel becomes an effective channel as shown in Figure l-(A).

In Figure l-(A),(a) is rotate data output of the PIP, (1) is a still data output of the PIP, (2) is a rotated data output of the rotate data output, (3) is an output starting on channel selection of the tuner, (4) is AFT (Auto Fine Tuning) operating completion output of the tuner which occurs after tuning, and (5) is PIP still data output (the same as 1) which cancels the still.

Therefore first still means a still and second still is a cancellation of the still. It is assumed that the channels K to N are stored in the skip memory. If there is not a synchronized signal in said multi mode, the channel becomes an ineffective channel.

In Figure 1-(B), 1' to 3' do the same function as 1 to 3 of Figure 1-(A), 4' is an output signal for decision of no synchronized signal, 5' is an output signal jumping to a corresponding channel, 6' is an output signal for repeating said processes of 1' to 5' until finding the channel position having a synchronized signal, and 7' executes the process of Figure 1-(A) when a synchronized signal is found.

Thus, the channel stored in said skip-memory becomes active as shown in Figure 1-(C), where it is assume that a NON-ADDED channel exists on position 3 and an ineffective channel is on position 4.

The NON-ADDED channel is defined as a channel not memorized in the skip memory before.

The whole screen obtained by the operation of Figure l-(B) represents the display of channel 0, as shown in Figure 1-(D), where the channel (N channel) not having synchronized signal of Figure 1- (A) is skipped.

If a specific channel key in the operating mode of Figure 1-(E), the pressed channel mode works.

Figure 2 shows the waveform making strobing time of the multichannel up/down.

Figure 2-(A) indicates the adjustment of time increment (t) by using (+) key and (-) key when a channel is skipped to another channel.

Figure 2-(B) shows the process making said strobing time up/down by 8.2 second per step when the reference time of said changed time (E t) is 1 second.

Figure 3 illustrates a page up/down operation when the multichannel key is on.

Figure 3-(A) shows a skip memory consisting of 32 position.

Figure 3-(B) shows one page of TV screen on which four channels corresponding to four position of said skip memory are displayed when the multichannel is on.

Therefore, if one page is defined to display 4 positions per page, it is possible to be P pages in said skip memory (4xP=4P).

It was assumed in Figure 3-(A) that position 4 and position 6 are non-added channels, and position 3 and position 10 are ineffective channels without a synchronized signal. In the case of Figure 3-(B), each of four channels corresponding to four positions of the skip memory is displayed on one page of one TV screen, and it is possible to make the display up or down by a page.

The arrow of Figure 3-(B) indicates the direction of the progress of strobing according to each channel.

Figure 3-(C) shows the process of said page up/down display.

Figure 3-(D) indicates channels added to the skip memory.

If there are channels which do not have synchronous signals, channel selector jumps over the channels. Thus, a multichannel mode is accomplished by the position having a synchronous signals. As an example, if position 3 is an ineffective channel not having a synchronous signal, the channel is skipped over and an effective channel becomes active.

Figure 4 shows that multichannels are displayed on signal screen.

Figure 4-(A-1) shows that a main-screen is a play back screen (PB screen) and sub-screen is multichannel screen when tuner 1 is in play back mode.

Figure 4-(A-2) describes the TV screen on which the main-screen is a blue screen not receiving a broadcasting signal and the sub-screens are multichannel screens when TV is turned on but is not playback mode.

Figure 4-(B-1) shows that the main-screen is the playback mode and the sub-screen is in the multichannel mode when tuner 2 is in a playback mode.

Figure 4-(B-2) shows that, when there is a synchronizing signal in a main-screen but it is not in the playback mode, the main-screen displays tuner 1 or a single line and the sub-screen displays tuner 2.

Figure 5-(A) is a tuner 1 system and Figure 5-(B) is tuner 2 system.

Tuner 1 system consists of tuner circuit (501) in TV, signal processing circuit (502) for VTR, switching part (503) which selects blue screen signal whose channel does not receive any broadcasting signal and is controlled by a control signal for main-screen (Q7) and sub-screen (Q6), and PIP (picture-in-picture) block (504) for controlling PIP.

Tuner 2 system consists of main-screen input selector (510), sub-screen output selector (511), signal processing block (512) for VTR, switching part (513) which selects blue screen and is controlled by a control signal for main-screen (Q7) and sub-screen (Q6), and PIP block (514) for processing them in PIP mode.

Figures 5-(A-1) and 5-(B-1) describe the operation of tuner 1 and tuner 2 systems. "X" denotes a NORMAL state which has a synchronous signal and "Y" is to indicate the ineffective channel which does not have a synchronous signal.

In the example of Figure 5-(B-1), for the first time Q6 becomes L (low) and selects PB screen as a main-screen at PB mode.

Q7 sets "X" to L by a synchronous signal and selects the received channel as a sub-screen. If there is not a synchronous signal, then Q7 sets "Y" to H(High) and selects blue screen as a sub-screen.

Next, at NON PB mode, Q6 and Q7 select either received channel or blue screen as main-screen or sub-screen according to the existence of a synchronous signal. Figure 6 shows a whole system composed of tuner 1 and tuner 2 of Figure 5 and using a microcomputer as a controller.

Figure 7 is a flow chart for the system of Figure 6.

If microcomputer (600) received a- channel input (Step 701), it make a decision whether the channel is tuner 1 system or tuner 2 (step 704). If the channel is tuner 1, it will determine whether the channel is a PB mode or not (step 705). If it is a PB mode, it selects the PB screen as a main-screen (step 706). If it is not a PB mode, it selects the blue screen as a main-screen (707). If said tuner system is tuner 2, it will determine whether the present mode is a PB mode or not (step 708). If it is a PB mode, it selects the PB screen as a main-screen (Step 706). If it is not a PB mode, it will determine whether it is main-screen or sub-screen (step 710).

If it is main-screen, it will check the existence of a synchronous signal (step 711). If there is not a synchronous signal, it selects the blue screen as a main (712). If said signal is a sub-screen (step 710), it reverses the mode of main/sub again (step 713) and selects a main-screen according to the kind of input; tuner 1, tuner 2 or LINE (step 714).

If the input is tuner 1, controller sets Q2 to H (step 715) and controls the tuner 1 (step 716).

If the input is tuner 2, the controller sets Q2 to low (step 717) and controls tuner 2 (step 718).

If the input is LINE, controller keeps the previous state of Q2 (step 719) and does nothing for control (step 728).

When a main-screen is selected according to the above process, controller selects the blue screen as a main-screen (step 722) according to the existence of a synchronous signal (step 721).

On the other hand, a selection of sub-screen is determined according to whether the output selector is tuner 1 or 2 or LINE (step 725).

If the output selector is tuner 1, the controller sets the signal Q2 to high (step 726), and controls tuner 1 (step 727). If it is tuner 2, the controller sets the signal Q2 low (step 728), control the tuner 2 (step 729).

If it is LINE, the controller keeps the previous state of Q2 (step 730) and does nothing for control (step 731).

Selection of sub-screen is completed according to the above process.

Microcomputer executes the multichannel screen according to screen 1, 2 or n (step 732), outputs the PIP still and ROTATE key data (step 733), begins the selection of tuner, performs the AFT action, and then output the PIP still data again (step 734).

Microcomputer makes a decision on the presence of synchronous signal on the sub-screen (step 735).

If there is not a synchronous signal, controller jumps over to the next position (step 736). If there is a synchronous signal, the strobing is affirmed to finish, and not (step 736-1) controller executes the strobing in progress (step 737), increases the content of page counter (step 739) when page is up (step 738), decreases the content of page counter (step 741) when page is down (step 740), and makes a decision of the existence of multichannel key input (step 742) inputted again. If there is the input, multichannel becomes off (step 743) and multichannel goes to the state prior to ON (step 745).

If there is not a multichannel key input and a remocon channel key input (step 746), a corresponding channel is displayed on the corresponding screen (step 747). Thus, according to this invention, TV screen is changed to the state of a multichannel display by using an existing PIP or multiscreen function and the effect of inproving the convenience and reliability when using TV system is obtained so that a user easily selects his favourite channel by making it possible to select a channel by menu type selection.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A multichannel system that comprises the tuner and PIP method for indicating the multi-channel, input visual and voice signal selector, and the control method for controlling them, wherein said control method comprises the mode discrimination process in selector the screen input signal during the input of multi-channel operation method, PIP execution process of executing the PIP action of N screen after the selection of the 1 and 2 screen input signal, channel selection process that puts a desired screen on each small screen during executing said PIP process, and page up or down process skipping to the channel that is memorized in the memory method.

2. A system according to Claim 1, wherein during the selection of screen input signal 1 or 2, decide whether there is synchronous signal among the selected signal, and select the specific input signal as a 1 or 2 screen input signal.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said channel selection comprises stopping the PIP screen strobing state by outputting the PIP stop control signal, rotating one screen among said N screens by outputting a rotate control signal, selecting a desired channel on the rotate screen, and strobing said N PIP screens after the channel selection.

4. A multichannel television system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

5. A multichannel television system with means for selecting a plurality of channels for simultaneous display on a main screen, said selection means comprising a memory for storing channel selection information selectable by menu-type selection and means for recalling said channel selection information to display a first plurality channels on said main screen and subsequently a second plurality of channels on said main screen.