JP2003309779A - Picture processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To speedily and precisely provide information on a program to be provided by multi-channel broadcasting without taking labor of changing setting of display/non-display. <P>SOLUTION: A digital broadcasting signal received and tuned through a digital BS/CS tuner 1 is supplied to a multiplexing/separating circuit 16, and EPG data are separated and extracted here and stored in the RAM 42 via a system controller 40. Based on EPG data stored in the RAM 42, an electronic program guide table is formed. When a cursor is positioned at a program to be broadcasted by multi-channel broadcasting in the electronic program guide table, information of a non-display set channel used for multi-channel broadcasting is also displayed and provided to be an object of selection, etc. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention
(Broadcast Satellite) The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an electronic program guide table forming method for effectively and easily using EPG (Electronic Program Guide) data that is available for digital broadcasting.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in the case of BS digital broadcasting, there are hundreds of broadcasting channels (hereinafter referred to as channels in this specification) as program transmission paths, and various programs are provided abundantly. There is. In order to provide the viewer with information about abundantly provided programs in an easy-to-understand manner and to perform operations such as selecting a target program easily and quickly, the EPG ( A function (service) called Electronic Program Guide is provided.

This function is to broadcast packetized EPG data including the program title, start time, end time, program content, etc. of the program to be broadcast, as well as the image data and audio data of the broadcast program that is packetized and transmitted. It is realized by transmitting from the side and receiving at the receiver of each user who is a viewer.

At the receiver of each user, the received E
An electronic program guide table to be displayed on the display screen is created based on the PG data, and this is displayed on the display screen of a monitor receiver or the like connected to the receiver to inform the user of the program to be broadcast. In addition to being provided appropriately, it is possible to quickly select a desired program through the electronic program guide displayed on the display screen.

Further, in the electronic program guide table, it is necessary to efficiently display and select the necessary information without displaying the program information or the like of the channels that are not used. Therefore, by setting the channel for displaying the program information in the electronic program guide using the setting function called initial setting or setup of the receiver in advance, only the information of the program broadcast through the required channel can be set. Form an electronic program guide table
I am able to display this.

[0006]

By the way, in recent years, BS
In digital broadcasting, one broadcaster (broadcaster) has come to perform event sharing broadcasting or multi-channel broadcasting in which broadcasting is simultaneously performed using a plurality of channels.

[0007] As shown in FIG. 14, in the event-sharing broadcasting, at least two or more channels are allocated to one broadcasting company (broadcaster), for example, when three channels 171, 172, 173 are allocated. The channel broadcasts the same program in the same time zone. Therefore, even when the same program is broadcast in the same time zone on all three channels, it is an event sharing broadcast.

[0008] In this event-shared broadcasting format, one of the channels is actually being broadcast, and this channel is referred to by another channel. In the case of the example shown in FIG. 14, the actual broadcasting is performed on the channel 171, and the channels 172 and 173 refer to the channel 171 to perform the same broadcasting as the channel 171.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 15, multi-channel broadcasting is performed by one broadcasting company (broadcaster).
, For example, three channels 171, 172, 1
When 73 is assigned, different programs are broadcast on at least two or more channels in the same time zone. Therefore, the case where different programs are broadcast in the same time zone on all three channels is also multi-channel broadcasting.

In the case of the example shown in FIG. 15, in the channel 171, the programs A, B and C are changed to the channel 17
2 shows programs D, E, F, and channels 173 show programs G, H, I. Even if the channels are assigned to the same broadcaster, I try to broadcast different programs.

For a broadcaster whose main form of broadcasting is the event-sharing broadcast as shown in FIG. 14, the program information of each of a plurality of different channels assigned to the broadcaster is displayed in the electronic program guide table. However, the information of the same program is only displayed at the same time on the plurality of different channels.

In this case, a user who wants to obtain the maximum information in the limited display space of the monitor receiver sets the program information about one channel among a plurality of different channels of the same broadcaster in the electronic program guide table. It may be possible to set in advance to display.

That is, by using the setting function of the receiver, one of a plurality of different channels assigned to the same broadcaster is displayed as a display setting on the electronic program guide table, and other channels are not displayed. As a display setting, it may be possible not to display it on the electronic program guide table.

However, it is conceivable that the event-shared broadcast and the multi-channel broadcast may coexist, such as the program being broadcast by the event-shared broadcast and the program being broadcast by the multi-channel broadcast from the middle. In this way, when the event-sharing broadcast is switched to the multi-channel broadcast, the hidden channel is not displayed in the electronic program guide, so you can select and watch the program that is being broadcast through the hidden channel. I cannot make or schedule recordings.

In such a case, after the display of the electronic program guide table is erased, a setting function called initial setting or setup is activated, and the display / non-display setting of the channel in the electronic program guide table is changed. By following the procedure of returning to the display of the electronic program guide table,
It becomes possible to display the program information of the hidden channel.

As described above, in order to display the program information of the channel which has been set to be hidden in the electronic program guide table, it is time-consuming and the program information of the target channel is displayed in the electronic program guide table quickly. Can not do it. In addition, it is troublesome to change the display / non-display setting one by one.

Therefore, in order to support multi-channel broadcasting, it is possible to set all channels to display so that the program information of all channels is displayed in the electronic program guide table.

However, as described above, when there are many event-shared broadcasting channels or channels that are not broadcasting, the limited display space of the display screen can be effectively utilized to efficiently and efficiently display a large amount of program information. Unable to answer the request of the user who wants to display. In addition, if there are many event-shared broadcasting channels or channels that are not in broadcasting, the electronic program guide table cannot be operated smoothly.

In view of the above, the present invention makes it possible to provide the information of the program provided by the multi-channel broadcasting quickly and accurately without the trouble of changing the display / non-display setting. An object is to provide an image processing device.

[0020]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an image processing apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 is an electronic program capable of selecting a target program from a large number of selectable programs. Acquiring means for acquiring electronic program guide information for forming a guide table; electronic program guide table forming means for forming the electronic program guide table based on the electronic program guide information acquired by the acquiring means; In the electronic program guide table created by the electronic program guide table forming means, a determining means for determining whether or not the program associated with the instructed program is broadcast through different channels in the same time zone. The electronic program guide forming means may further include: a program associated with the instructed program is being broadcast through different channels in the same time zone. If it is determined by the determining means, and forming an electronic program guide table including the program information associated with it.

According to the image processing apparatus of the first aspect, in the electronic program guide table formed by the electronic program guide forming means, for example, a program related to a program instructed to position the cursor or the like. Is broadcast on another channel in the same time slot,
The electronic program guide forming means forms an electronic program guide table including the program information of the related program.

Thus, the program information of the program related to the instructed program can be surely provided to the user (user) through the electronic program guide table, and can be targeted for program selection and recording reservation. It should be noted that the same time period is not limited to the case where the broadcast time of the program instructed and the broadcast time of the program associated therewith are completely the same,
It also includes the case where at least a part thereof overlaps.

The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 is
Acquiring means for acquiring electronic program guide information for forming an electronic program guide table enabling selection of a target program from a large number of selectable programs, and created based on the electronic program guide information Display / non-display setting means for setting a display setting channel for displaying program information and a non-display setting channel for not displaying program information in the electronic program guide, and acquired by the acquiring means. Created by the electronic program guide table forming means for forming the electronic program guide table based on the electronic program guide information and the setting information set by the display / non-display setting means, and the normal electronic program guide table forming means. Whether or not the program associated with the instructed program is broadcast through different channels in the same time zone in the electronic program guide table In the case where the electronic program guide table forming means is provided with a determining means for determining, the electronic program guide table forming means determines that the program associated with the instructed program is broadcast through different channels in the same time zone. On the basis of the electronic program guide information acquired by the acquisition unit and the setting information set by the display / non-display setting unit, an electronic program guide table including also program information of the non-display setting channel. It is characterized by forming.

According to the image processing apparatus of the second aspect, the display / non-display setting means sets the display setting channel to be displayed in the electronic program guide table and the non-display setting channel to be not displayed in advance. To be And
Electronic program guide information acquired by the acquisition means, and display /
Based on the setting information set by the non-display setting means, the electronic program guide table forming means forms a normal electronic program guide table including only the information of the channels set for display.

In this normal electronic program guide table, the discriminating means determines that the program associated with the program pointed by the cursor being positioned for selection or the like is being broadcast through another channel. When the determination is made, the electronic program guide table forming means forms and displays the electronic program guide table including the channels set to the non-display setting.

As a result, the program associated with the instructed program can be broadcast through another channel without the trouble of changing the display / non-display setting of the channel. Even if the channel is a non-display setting channel, information about the program broadcast through the channel is displayed in the electronic program guide table so that it can be targeted for program selection and recording reservation. .

An image processing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the image processing apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the determination means is the same time slot through a plurality of different channels of the same broadcaster. It is characterized in that a program broadcast by multi-channel broadcasting which broadcasts different programs is discriminated as the associated program.

According to the image processing apparatus of the fourth aspect, in the normal electronic program guide table formed by the electronic program guide table forming means, the cursor is positioned for selection or the like. 1) of the programs provided by the multi-channel broadcasting.
If the program is one of the two programs, the determining unit determines that there is a program associated with the instructed program.

As a result, the information about the programs broadcast through the channels used in the multi-channel broadcasting which is set to the non-display can be set without any trouble such as changing the display / non-display setting of the channels. The program is displayed on the electronic program guide table so that it can be targeted for program selection and recording reservation.

[0030]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following, the image processing device according to the present invention is provided with a digital BS / CS tuner function, a terrestrial wave tuner function, and a recording medium recording / reproducing function (recording / reproducing device). The case of application to the above will be described as an example.

[Structure and Basic Operation of Image Processing Device] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall structure of an image processing device to which the present invention is applied. As described above, the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is provided with the digital BS / CS tuner function, and can receive and use digital broadcasting in which event sharing broadcasting and multi-channel broadcasting are performed. .

In general, as described above, the electronic program guide table is formed and displayed for the channels set to be displayed by the user in the initial setting or the like. However, when the channel in which the multi-channel broadcasting is performed is set to be hidden, it becomes impossible to select and watch the program broadcasted through the channel or make a recording reservation.

Therefore, in the image processing apparatus of this embodiment, in the displayed electronic program guide table, if the program where the cursor is positioned is one of the programs broadcast by multi-channel broadcasting, In the same time zone, at least a broadcaster who broadcasts the instructed program can form an electronic program guide table including program information of hidden channels used for multi-channel broadcasting. It was done like this.

The same time zone means not only when the broadcast times of a plurality of programs broadcast by multi-channel broadcasting are completely the same, but also when at least a part of them overlaps. Is.

First, before describing in detail the creation and display of the electronic program guide table as described above, the configuration and basic operation of the image processing apparatus of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In FIG. 1, the system controller 40 controls all circuit blocks described later. The system controller 40 is via the host bus,
ROM (Read Only Memory) 41, RAM (Random Acc
ess Memory) 42, EEPROM (Electrically Erasa
ble and Programmable ROM) 43 is accessed as necessary to control the entire image processing apparatus.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the host bus has a light receiving unit 4 for receiving an infrared remote control signal (remote control signal).
4 is connected. The light receiving unit 44 can receive, for example, an infrared remote control signal from a remote commander (hereinafter, referred to as a remote controller) 50, convert it into an electric signal, and supply the electric signal to the system controller 40.

As a result, the system controller 40
Is capable of controlling each unit so as to perform processing in accordance with a user's instruction supplied through the remote controller 50, and performing various settings on the EEPROM 43, for example.

The ROM 41 stores various programs executed by the image processing apparatus of this embodiment and various data necessary for processing.
The M42 is mainly used as a work area, for example, temporarily recording the intermediate result of processing. Also, EEPRO
M43 is a so-called non-volatile memory for storing and holding data that needs to be retained even when the power is turned off, such as various setting data.

The image processing apparatus of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 has the digital BS /
A CS tuner 1 and a digital input / output terminal 2 are provided, and a terrestrial tuner 4 and an analog audio input terminal 5 and an analog video input terminal 6 are provided as analog input ends.

The digital input / output terminal 2 is used as a digital output terminal, and the analog audio output terminal 22 and the analog video output terminal 27 are provided as analog output terminals. Further, the communication connection terminal 30 is provided so that various data can be transmitted and received through a communication network such as the Internet.

The image processing apparatus shown in FIG.
The recording medium 18 receives the digital video signal and digital audio signal received through the digital input terminal described above.
Or output to the digital output end,
Moreover, it can be converted into an analog signal and output.

Furthermore, the image processing apparatus shown in FIG.
The analog audio signal or the analog video signal received through the analog input end described above is output through the analog output end, converted into a digital signal and recorded on the recording medium 18, or output through the digital output end. Is what you can do.

Further, the data received through the above-mentioned communication connection terminal 30 is recorded on the recording medium 18, is digitally output, and when the received data is video data or audio data, these are converted into analog data. It can also be converted into a signal and output through the analog output end.

[Use of Digital Input] The operation of the image processing apparatus of this embodiment when receiving information from each of the above-mentioned input ends will be described. First,
The operation of receiving the BS digital broadcasting signal and the CS digital broadcasting signal through the digital BS / CS tuner 1 and recording the same on the recording medium 18 or outputting them in analog form will be described.

Although not shown, a parabona antenna for receiving a digital broadcast signal from a satellite is connected to the digital BS / CS tuner 1. Then, the digital BS / CS tuner 1 receives and tunes in a target digital broadcasting signal based on a tuning control signal supplied from the system controller 40 in accordance with a tuning instruction from the user, and this reception, The selected digital broadcast signal is supplied to the multiplexing / demultiplexing circuit 16.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the digital broadcast signal. As shown in FIG. 2, the digital broadcast signal has a PSI (Pr
EPG (Electronic Pro) for forming tuning information and electronic program guide table called ogram specific information
Along with various control data such as gram guide data, video data (image data) and audio data (audio data) that make up a broadcast program, and various other data are packetized, multiplexed, and transmitted. There is a so-called TS (Transport Stream) signal format.

An identifier (I
D) is added, and by this identifier, PSI data and EPG data can be extracted, and video packets and audio packets forming the same program can be extracted.

The multiplexer / demultiplexer circuit 16 is a digital BS / C.
The PSI or EPG data is extracted from the TS signal from the S tuner 1, supplied to the system controller 40 to enable program selection, and an electronic program guide table is formed, which is instructed by the user. According to the above, it is output so as to be displayed, and it becomes possible to select a program or make a recording reservation through the electronic program guide table.

Further, the multiplexer / demultiplexer circuit 16 is operated by the digital BS / demultiplexer 16 when the recording of the selected program is instructed.
Video packets and audio packets of the target program selected by the user are extracted from the TS signal from the CS tuner 1 to form a new TS signal consisting of these and necessary control data, and buffer control is performed on this signal. Recording is performed on the recording medium 18 through the circuit 17.

At the same time, the multiplexer / demultiplexer circuit section 16 converts the video ES (El) from the video packet of the target program extracted from the TS signal from the digital BS / CS tuner 1.
ementary Stream) is formed and MPEG (Moving
Picture Experts Group) video decoder 23, and also from audio packets to audio ES (El
ementary Stream) and supplies it to the MPEG audio decoder 19.

The MPEG audio decoder 19 decodes the audio ES supplied thereto, obtains baseband audio data, and supplies this to the post audio signal processing circuit 20. MPEG decoder 23
Decodes the video ES supplied thereto to obtain baseband video data, and supplies this to the post video signal processing circuit 24.

The post video signal processing circuit 24 is an MPEG
The video data from the video decoder 23 and the video data from the pre-video signal processing circuit 14 to be described later are switched, screen synthesis and filter processing are performed, and the processed video data is sent to the OSD (On Screen Display) circuit 25. Supply.

The OSD circuit 25 generates graphics and character data for screen display, and overlays or partially displays the generated graphics and character data on the video data supplied to the OSD circuit 24. Then, the processed video data is supplied to the NTSC encoder 25.

The NTSC encoder 25 outputs the video data (component digital signal) input thereto as Y signal.
After the conversion into the C signal, the D / A conversion is performed to generate the analog composite video signal C and the S (separate) video signal S, and each of them is output through the analog video signal output terminal 27.

On the other hand, in the post audio signal processing circuit 20,
The audio data from the MPEG audio decoder 19 and the audio data from the pre-audio signal processing circuit 9 are switched, filter processing, fade processing, speech speed conversion processing, etc. are performed, and the processed audio data is converted to audio D /
It is supplied to the A converter 21. The audio D / A converter 21 converts the audio data supplied thereto into an analog audio signal, and outputs this through the output terminal 22 of the analog audio signal.

The analog audio output terminal 22,
A monitor receiver, for example, is connected downstream of the analog video output terminal 27 and is connected to the analog audio output terminal 22.
The sound corresponding to the analog audio signal output through the is output from the speaker of the monitor receiver,
An image corresponding to the analog video signal output through the analog video output terminal 27 is displayed on the display screen of the monitor receiver.

As described above, in the image processing apparatus of this embodiment, the video data and audio data of the target program are extracted from the digital broadcast signal received and tuned through the digital BS / CS tuner 1, Is recorded on the recording medium 18, and at the same time, an analog video signal and an analog audio signal are formed and can be output. That is, the target program provided as a digital broadcast signal is recorded on the recording medium 18
You can watch the program while recording.

Further, as described above, the multiplexing / demultiplexing circuit 1
The TS signal newly formed in 6 can be output to an external device such as another recording device or a personal computer through the digital interface circuit 3 and the digital input / output terminal 2. In this case, the digital interface circuit 3 converts the digital signal supplied thereto into a digital signal of a format suitable for an external device and outputs the digital signal.

On the contrary, for example, an external IRD
IEEE1 from (Integrated Receiver Decoder) etc.
A digital signal supplied via a digital interface such as 394 is received through the digital input / output terminal 2 and recorded on the recording medium 18, or an analog video signal or analog audio signal is formed and output. It is also possible to do.

That is, the digital signal supplied through the digital input / output terminal 2 is supplied to the digital interface circuit 3. The digital interface circuit 3 performs processing such as format conversion on the digital signal supplied thereto so as to conform to the method used by the image processing apparatus of this embodiment, generates a TS signal, and outputs the TS signal. It is supplied to the multiplexing / demultiplexing circuit 16.

The multiplexing / demultiplexing circuit 16 further analyzes and generates control signals and the like, and records them in the recording medium 18 in a T format.
The S signal is formed and can be recorded in the recording medium 18 through the buffer control circuit 17 as described above.

The multiplexer / demultiplexer circuit 16 also forms the video ES and the audio ES from the TS signal supplied from the digital interface circuit 3 and supplies them to the MPEG video decoder 23 and the MPEG audio decoder 19 so that the above is also described. Thus, an analog video signal and an analog audio signal are formed and these can be output.

[Use of analog input] Next, an analog signal input is accepted through the terrestrial tuner 4, the analog audio input terminal 5, and the analog video input terminal 6, and the analog signal is recorded in the recording medium 18 or output as an analog signal. The operation in the case of doing will be described.

The terrestrial tuner 4 receives the terrestrial analog broadcast signal, tunes it to demodulates it, obtains an analog video signal (composite signal) and an analog audio signal, and supplies them to the input switching circuit 7. Similarly, the composite video signal C and the audio signal from the outside are also supplied to the input switching circuit 7.

The input switching circuit 7 selects and outputs a target signal according to the control signal from the system controller 40. That is, the input switching circuit 7 outputs the analog video signal and the analog audio signal from the terrestrial tuner 4, or the analog audio input terminal 5,
The output of the analog audio signal and the analog video signal from the analog video input terminal 6 is switched.

Of the signals output from the input switching circuit 7, the analog audio signal is supplied to the A / D converter 8 and the analog video signal (composite signal) is supplied to the YC separation circuit 11. The YC separation circuit 11 is
The analog video signal supplied thereto is YC separated, that is, separated into a luminance signal Y and a color difference signal C, and these are supplied to the input switching circuit 12. The S (separate) video signal S from the outside is also supplied to the input switching circuit 12.

The input switching circuit 12 selects one of the S video signal S from the outside and the video signal from the YC separation circuit 11 according to an instruction from the system controller 40, and selects the selected video signal as NTSC (National). Telev
ision System Committee) Decoder circuit 13 is supplied.

The NTSC decoder circuit 13 subjects the analog video signal input thereto to processing such as A / D conversion and chroma decoding to convert it into digital component video data (video data), which is pre-imaged. It is supplied to the signal processing circuit 14. In addition, the NTSC decoder 13 generates a clock based on the horizontal synchronizing signal of the input video signal, and a horizontal synchronizing signal obtained by synchronizing separation,
The vertical sync signal and the field discrimination signal are supplied to the sync control circuit 28.
Supply to.

The synchronization control circuit 28 generates a clock signal and a synchronization signal for providing necessary timing in each circuit block, using each signal supplied thereto as a reference, and supplies this to each circuit block.

Further, the pre-video signal processing circuit 14 subjects the input video data to various video signal processing such as pre-filtering, and supplies this to the MPEG video encoder 15 and the post-video signal processing circuit 24.

The MPEG video encoder 15 applies a block DCT to the image data from the pre-video signal processing circuit 14.
Encoding processing such as (Discrete Cosine Transform) is performed to generate a video ES, which is supplied to the multiplexing / demultiplexing circuit 16.

On the other hand, the audio signal selected by the input switching circuit 7 is converted into a digital audio signal (audio data) by the A / D converter 8 and then supplied to the pre-audio signal processing circuit 9. Pre-voice signal processing circuit 9
Performs a filtering process on the audio data supplied thereto, and the MPEG audio encoder 1
Supply to 0.

The MPEG audio encoder 10 compresses the audio data supplied thereto in accordance with the MPEG format, then generates the audio ES, and supplies the audio ES to the multiplexing / demultiplexing circuit 16 as in the case of the video data.

During recording, the multiplexing / separating circuit 16 outputs a video ES from the MPEG video encoder 15 and an audio E from the MPEG audio encoder 10.
The S and various control signals are multiplexed. That is, the multiplexing / demultiplexing circuit 16 at the time of recording receives the M
A PEG video ES and an MPEG audio ES are combined with various control signals and subjected to a multiplexing process, for example, MPE.
Generate a TS signal for the G system. T generated here
The S signal is transferred to the recording medium 18 via the buffer control circuit 17.
Recorded in.

As shown in FIG. 1, the audio data from the pre-audio signal processing circuit 9 is supplied to the MPEG audio encoder 10 and the post-audio signal processing circuit 20, and the pre-video signal is also supplied. The video data from the processing circuit 14 is supplied to the MPEG video encoder 15 and also the post video signal processing circuit 2
It is designed to be supplied to 4.

The post audio signal processing circuit 20, D
An analog audio signal is formed by the function of the A / A converter and is output, and an analog video signal is formed by the functions of the post video signal processing circuit 24, the OSD circuit 25, and the NTSC encoder 26, and this is output. Has been made possible.

That is, in parallel with the process of converting the analog signal supplied through the terrestrial tuner 4, the analog audio input terminal 5, and the analog video input terminal 6 into a digital signal and recording the digital signal in the recording medium 18, this recording is performed. The target video data and audio data can be reproduced and output.

[Reproduction from Recording Medium] Next, the operation of the image processing apparatus of this embodiment in reproducing the video signal and the audio signal recorded in the recording medium 18 as described above will be described. . Under the control of the system controller 40, the target TS signal to be reproduced is read from the recording medium 18, and is supplied to the multiplexing / demultiplexing circuit 16 through the buffer control circuit 17.

During reproduction, the multiplexing / demultiplexing circuit 16
From the TS signal read from the recording medium 18, the video E
S and audio ES are separated, and the separated audio ES is supplied to the MPEG audio decoder 19.
The video ES is supplied to the MPEG video decoder 23.

The processing of each circuit section after the MPEG audio decoder 19 and the processing of each circuit section after the MPEG video decoder 23 are as described in the case of using the digital input. That is, the analog audio signal is formed and output from the audio ES supplied to the MPEG audio decoder 19, and the analog video signal is formed and output from the video ES supplied to the MPEG video decoder 23.

As a result, an image corresponding to the video data and audio data read from the recording medium 18 through the monitor receiver connected to the subsequent stage of the analog audio output terminal 22 and the analog video output terminal 27,
The voice is output so that it can be viewed.

[Usage of Communication Connection Terminal and Communication Interface] As described above, the image processing apparatus of this embodiment is provided with the communication interface 29 and the communication connection terminal 30, and is equipped with, for example, a telephone line. It is designed to be able to connect to a network such as the Internet via the network, acquire various data through the network, and send various data to the network.

As various kinds of data that can be transmitted and received, various programs and text data as well as video data and audio data can be transmitted and received. Video data and audio data can be recorded on the recording medium 18 via the multiplexing / demultiplexing circuit 16.

Further, the multiplexing / demultiplexing circuit 16, the MPEG audio decoder 19, the post audio signal processing circuit 20,
An audio signal reproduction system including a D / A converter 21 and an audio output terminal 22, and an MPEG video decoder 2
3, post video signal processing circuit 24, OSD25, NTS
By using the video signal reproducing system including the C encoder 26 and the video output terminal 27, it is possible to reproduce the video data and audio data acquired through the communication network and use them.

Further, the program and control data used in the image processing apparatus of this embodiment are provided through the network, and the EEPROM 43 stores the program.
It is also possible to keep a record in, for example, and use it as needed. For example, through a communication network, the function of the image processing apparatus of this embodiment may be improved, or EPG data and the like may be obtained in advance,
It is possible to create an electronic program guide table in advance.

In this embodiment, the video data and the audio data are compressed by the MPEG method, but other compression methods can be used and the data is compressed. It is also possible to process the data without compression.

As the recording medium 18, it is possible to use various recording media such as a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic disk and a semiconductor memory.

[Creation and Display of Digital Broadcast Electronic Program Guide] Then, in the image processing apparatus of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the digital BS / CS tuner 1 is used to receive and watch digital broadcast. In this case, in order to select the target program, the electronic program guide table is displayed on the display screen of, for example, a monitor receiver connected to the image processing apparatus of this embodiment, and the target program can be easily selected. I am able to do it.

The electronic program guide table can be formed based on the EPG data included in the digital broadcast signal. That is, the EPG data has various data for forming the electronic program guide table.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the outline of EPG data. The actual EPG data comprises several tables with different data. But,
To give a rough outline, for example, it can be shown as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the EPG data includes, for example, a broadcasting time (broadcasting time zone) for each broadcasting date and each channel, video data constituting a program broadcast at the broadcasting time, and the like. It has a packet ID for identifying the packet (described as PID in FIG. 3) and information (program description) indicating the program title and program content.

A broadcaster ID (BID in FIG. 3) indicating which broadcaster (broadcaster) is assigned to each channel.
And described. ) Is added.

Then, in the program description shown as a column of the program title and the like in FIG. 3, there is a data structure regarding event sharing. In this data structure regarding event sharing, as shown in the data structure regarding event sharing regarding program A on channel 171 in FIG. 3, in addition to its own channel number for identifying itself (own program), its own PID, and its There is an event group type that indicates whether the program is an event-shared program provided by event-shared broadcasting.

The data structure relating to the event sharing, which is the program provided by the event sharing broadcast and is described in the program description of the channel which is actually providing the program, includes, for example, the channel 171 of FIG. As shown in the data structure regarding event sharing for program B, the channel numbers and PIDs of all shared channels are described.

That is, the channel 171 shown in FIG.
In the data structure relating to the event sharing of the program B, PID of channel 171 = 15, PID of channel 172 = 40, PID of channel 173 =
It is shared by the user 60, and the presence of the same channel number and PID as that of the user makes it possible to know that the user (own program) is the reference source (referenced main body).

The data structure relating to the event sharing described in the program description of the channel which is a program provided by the event sharing broadcasting and which refers to the program of another channel has, for example, the channel shown in FIG. 1
As shown in the data structure for event sharing of program B 73, the channel number and PID of the referenced channel are described.

That is, the channel 173 shown in FIG.
In the data structure relating to the event sharing regarding the program B, the PID = 15 of the channel 171 is referred to.

Therefore, the outline example of the EPG data shown in FIG. 3 is the EPG data for the broadcast program on March 20, 2002, and the channels 171 and 172 assigned to the broadcaster with BID = 01. , 173.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3, in the channel 171, 11:00 am to 12:03 pm
Until 0 minutes, the program A provided by the packet of PID = 10 is broadcast, and from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm
It is shown that the program B provided by the packet of PID = 15 is broadcast until 0 minutes.

Further, in the channel 171, PID = 20 from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
It is shown that the program C provided by the packet is broadcast, and the program D provided by the packet of PID = 25 is broadcast from 2:30 pm to 3:00 pm.

Similarly, in channel 172, PID = from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Program E provided by 30 packets is broadcast,
PID from 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm
It is shown that the program F provided by the packet of = 35 is broadcast.

Further, in the channel 172, from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm, as in the case of the channel 171, the program B provided by the packet of PID = 15 is broadcast, and at 1:00 pm It is shown that the program C provided by the packet of PID = 20 is set to be broadcast from 00 minutes to 2:30 pm.

Similarly, in channel 173, PID = from 11:00 am to 11:30 pm
Program G provided by 50 packets is broadcast,
From 11:30 am to 12:30 pm PID
It is shown that the program H provided by the packet of = 55 is broadcast.

Further, in the channel 173, from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm, as in the case of the channels 171, 172, the program B provided by the packet of PID = 15 is broadcast, and It is shown that the program C provided by the packet of PID = 20 is set to be broadcast from 1:00 to 2:30 pm.

As described above, in the case of the example of the outline of the EPG data shown in FIG. 3, from 11:00 am to 12:30 am, each of the channels 171, 172 and 173 is different in program depending on multi-channel broadcasting. Broadcast,
From 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm, the same program is broadcast by event sharing broadcast.

Therefore, from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm on channels 172 and 173, the packets constituting program B and program C broadcast on channel 171 are referred to, and channel 171 is referred to. , 17
The same program is broadcasted in each of 2 and 173.

That is, in the program description of the programs of each time zone from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm on channels 172 and 173, the program broadcast by the event shared broadcast The program reference source (reference destination) channel number and PID are described.

As described above, the EPG data having such information is separated and extracted by the multiplexer / demultiplexer circuit 16 from the digital broadcast signal (TS signal) received and tuned by the digital BS / CS tuner 1. The data is supplied to the system controller 40, tabulated as shown in FIG. 3, and stored in the RAM 42.

Further, in the EPG data table stored in the RAM 42, as will be described later, in the image processing apparatus of this embodiment, for example, flag information relating to creation of an electronic program guide table corresponding to each program. And so on can be added.

The EPG data is packetized and transmitted in small pieces, but the EPG data (packet data) transmitted in about 11 minutes causes 8
EPG data for forming the electronic program guide table for the day is transmitted.

Then, the electronic program guide table is formed based on the EPG data stored in the RAM 42 and is displayed. In the image processing apparatus of this embodiment, the electronic program guide table is displayed. The channels to be displayed and the channels not to be displayed can be preset. By doing so, it is possible to effectively utilize the limited display area of the display screen and display more required channel information.

The setting of the channel (display setting channel) displayed on the electronic program guide table and the channel not displayed (non-display setting channel) on the electronic program guide table is performed by, for example, the remote controller 50 of the image processing apparatus of this embodiment. E
EPROM 43 can be performed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an EPG display / non-display setting table which is formed in the EEPROM 43 and which sets the display channel and the non-display channel. In the EPG display / non-display setting table of the example shown in FIG.
2 and 173 are set to non-display (OFF), and channels 171, 181, 191, and 201 are set to display (ON).

Then, based on the EPG data for forming the electronic program guide table shown in FIG. 3 and the EPG display / non-display setting table shown in FIG. 4, the system of the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The controller 40 forms an electronic program guide table, supplies it to the OSD circuit 25, and
It is output through the TSC encoder 26 and supplied to the monitor receiver of this embodiment so that the electronic program guide table can be displayed on the display screen of the monitor receiver.

FIGS. 5 to 7 show, for example, the EP shown in FIG.
It is a figure which shows a part of electronic program guide table formed based on G data and the EPG display / non-display setting table shown in FIG. In the image processing apparatus of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, an electronic program guide table is created with the vertical direction as a broadcast time zone and the horizontal direction as a channel.

Since the display setting channels are channels 171, 181, 191, and 201 as shown in FIG. 4, the channels 171 and 18 are as shown in FIG.
An electronic program guide table for 1, 191, and 201 is formed and is displayed.

It should be noted that from the EPG data shown in FIG. 3, whether or not there are a plurality of channels assigned to the same broadcaster can be known by referring to the BID, and also through the channels assigned to the same broadcaster. Whether event-shared broadcasting is being performed or multi-channel broadcasting is being performed can be determined by referring to the event group type for broadcast programs in the same time zone.

Then, based on the EPG data stored in the RAM 42, the system controller 40 of the image processing apparatus according to this embodiment sets at least the same time period for each program to be broadcast by the display setting channel. It is determined whether or not different programs are broadcast on the other channels assigned to the same broadcaster and which are set to the non-display setting. That is, it is determined whether or not there is a program being broadcast by multi-channel broadcasting.

As a result of this determination, it is determined that different programs are being broadcast on the other channels assigned to the same broadcaster in the same time zone and set to the non-display setting. In this case, a multi-channel mark is displayed as indicated by reference numeral 100 in FIG. ing.

By displaying the multi-channel mark 100, it is notified that there is another channel assigned to the same broadcaster, which is in the non-display setting for performing multi-channel broadcasting.

As described above, when it is determined that there is a program broadcast by multi-channel broadcasting in the same time zone, the EPG data table stored in the RAM 42 serves as a reference for the determination. The multi-channel flag corresponding to the program of the display setting channel is turned on. That is, the multi-channel flag is set.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6A, the remote controller 5
When the system controller 40 positions the cursor 103 on the program in which the multi-channel mark 100 is displayed according to the input operation from the user through 0, the system controller 40 of the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.
Displays a pop-up display 104 that prompts the display of program information of other channels that are performing multi-channel broadcasting.

In the image processing apparatus of this embodiment,
In the electronic program guide table, the cursor 103 can be moved at least in program units, and is shown by a thick line surrounding the outer frame of the display column of each program.

The pop-up display 104 is displayed in the vicinity of the display column of the program when the cursor 103 is positioned in the display column of the program in which the multi-channel mark is displayed. When it is moved or when it is instructed to perform multi-channel display, it is erased from the screen.

Then, when the pop-up display 104 is displayed, a predetermined operation for instructing to display the program information of the non-display setting channel performing the multi-channel broadcasting, for example, the operation of pressing the confirmation key. And the like, the system controller 40 determines that the RA
Based on the EPG data stored in M42, as shown in FIG.
Forming an electronic program guide table including program information of 2,173,
Output this so that it can be displayed.

As a result, even if the channel set to the non-display setting is used, the channel used for the multi-channel broadcasting is not changed without changing the EPG display / non-display setting table shown in FIG. In some cases, the program information of the non-display channel is also displayed, and operations such as selecting the program of the non-display setting channel and recording reservation can be performed.

Therefore, in the case of FIG. 6B, the program information of the channels 172 and 173, which are not normally displayed because of the non-display setting channel, is displayed, and the program E and the program F of the channel 172 are displayed. Alternatively, the program G or program H of the channel 173 can be selected and viewed, and recording reservation can be made.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7, in the electronic program guide table in which the program information of the non-display setting channel which is performing the multi-channel broadcasting is also displayed, the cursor 103 is broadcast by the multi-channel broadcasting. System controller 40
Displays a pop-up display 104E for returning the display contents of the electronic program guide to only the program information of the display-set channel.

In the pop-up display 104E, when the electronic program guide table including the program information of the non-display setting channels used for the multi-channel broadcasting is displayed, the cursor 103 is broadcast by the multi-channel broadcasting. It is displayed when it is positioned in the display column of the program in progress.

Further, the pop-up display 104E is erased from the screen when the cursor 104E is moved or when the display of the electronic program guide table only for the channel of the display setting is returned.

Note that programs broadcast by multi-channel broadcasting include a program displayed with a multi-channel mark (a program broadcast through a channel with display settings used for multi-channel broadcasting) and a program broadcast by multi-channel broadcasting. It includes both programs that are being broadcast over a hidden channel that is being broadcast.

Then, when the pop-up display 104E is displayed, a predetermined operation for instructing to return to the display of the electronic program guide table containing only the program information of the channel of the display setting, for example, the operation of pressing the confirmation key, etc. If it is turned on, the system controller 40 forms the electronic program guide table in the original state, which does not include the program information of the non-display setting channel shown in FIG. 5, based on the EPG data stored in the RAM 42. , Output this so that it can be displayed.

As a result, the original display setting can be made from the electronic program guide table that also includes the program information of the non-display setting channel performing multi-channel broadcasting without frequently changing the EPG display / non-display setting table. It is possible to immediately return to the electronic program guide table consisting of program information of only the channel by a simple operation.

The above-described processing of displaying and moving the cursor 103, displaying and erasing the pop-up displays 104 and 104E can be performed by the processing of the OSD circuit 25 operating under the control of the system controller 40, for example. To be done.

[Method of discriminating multi-channel display target program] As described above, whether or not a program is to be broadcast by multi-channel broadcasting depends on the BID of the EPG data stored in the RAM 42 of the image processing apparatus and It can be determined based on the information of the event group type.

Then, in the image processing apparatus of this embodiment, it is determined whether or not each program is a program provided by multi-channel broadcasting based on the EPG data stored in the RAM 42, and the same broadcasting business is carried out. If there are other channels that are hidden by the user,
As described above, the EPG stored in the RAM 42
A multi-channel flag is set to indicate that there is a multi-channel display target channel in the corresponding area of the data in the program.

A method of selecting a multi-channel display target program performed in the image processing apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
The process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is a process executed by the system controller 40 of this embodiment.

When the EPG data is loaded or updated in the RAM 42, the system controller 40 executes the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. The system controller 40 first reads the E stored in the RAM 42.
A target program to be a reference of the discrimination process is specified from a plurality of programs included in the PG data (step S101).
For example, for the channels set for display, the target programs are selected in order of channel number and in order of broadcast date and time.

Then, with respect to the specified target program, in another channel assigned to the same broadcaster,
It is determined whether or not the programs are provided by the event sharing broadcast in which the same program is broadcast in the same time zone (step S102). The determination processing in step S102 can be performed based on the BID of the EPG data in the RAM 42 and the event group type of the data structure regarding event sharing included in the program description.

When it is determined in step S102 that the target program specified in step S101 is the program provided by the event-sharing broadcast, the system controller 40 once ends the processing shown in FIG.

In the discrimination processing of step S102, when it is discriminated that the target program specified in step S101 is not the program provided by the event sharing broadcast,
The system controller 40 selects one of the programs provided by multi-channel broadcasting in which different programs are broadcast in the same time slot on the channel assigned to the same broadcaster for the target program identified in step S101. It is determined whether or not (step S10).
3). The determination process of step S103 is also RAM
It is possible to make a determination based on the BID of 42 EPG data and the event group type.

When it is determined in step S103 that the target program specified in step S101 is one of the programs provided by multi-channel broadcasting, the system controller 40 causes the EEPRO to operate.
Referring to the EPG display / non-display setting table in M43,
It is determined whether or not there is a channel of the broadcaster that is set to be hidden (step S1).
04).

If it is determined in step S104 that there is a channel assigned to the broadcasting company and set to non-display, the system controller 40 selects the target program for multi-channel display. As described above, the multi-channel flag of the target program is turned on (step S105).
The process shown in is ended.

Further, when it is judged in the judgment processing of step S103 that the target program specified in step S101 is not one of the programs provided by multi-channel broadcasting, and in the judgment processing of step S104, If it is determined that another channel used for broadcasting and assigned to the same broadcaster is also a display setting channel, the processing shown in FIG. 8 is terminated.

Then, the system controller 40 of the image processing apparatus of this embodiment performs the multi-channel display target program discrimination processing shown in FIG. 8 for all the programs of the EPG data table stored in the RAM 42, Programs provided by multi-channel broadcasting include
Perform the process of setting the multi-channel flag.

The determination as to whether or not the program provided by the event-sharing broadcast in step S102 and the determination as to whether or not one of the programs provided by the multi-channel broadcast in step S103 are as described above. , EPG data table by referring to BID and event group type.

Specifically, when channels having the same BID are detected, the event group types of the programs broadcast in the same time zone on those channels are referred to, and there is a program that refers to the target program, or ,
When the target program itself refers to another program, it can be determined that the program is broadcast by the event sharing broadcast.

Similarly, channels having the same BID are detected, the event group types of programs broadcast in the same time zone on those channels are referred to, and if they are "event group type = none",
It can be determined that the program is broadcast by multi-channel broadcasting.

In FIG. 8, only the case of turning on the multi-channel flag has been described, but there is a possibility that the broadcast program may be changed. Therefore, step S10
In the determination process of No. 2, when it is determined that the broadcast is the event-sharing broadcast, when it is determined in the determination process of Step S103 that it is not one of the programs provided by the multi-channel broadcast, and in the determination process of Step S104. The multi-channel flag of the target program may be turned off when it is determined that the other channels used for the multi-channel broadcasting are also the display setting channels.

[Processing when executing multi-channel display]
Next, in the case where the electronic program guide table for the programs broadcasted by the display setting channel is displayed,
A basic process for displaying information of a program provided by a non-display setting channel used for multi-channel broadcasting will be described.

After the normal electronic program guide table consisting of the information of the programs to be broadcast by the display setting channel is displayed, the system controller 40 executes the processing shown in FIG.

First, the system controller 40 first displays the cursor 10 in the electronic program guide table to be displayed.
The position of No. 3 is acquired (step S201), and it is determined whether or not the program at the cursor position indicates that the multi-channel flag is turned on and there is a channel to be displayed in multi-channel. (Step S202).

If it is determined in the determination processing of step S202 that there is a channel to be displayed in multi-channel with the multi-channel flag turned on, the system controller 40 causes the EPG in the RAM 42 to operate.
With reference to the data table, the program information of the program which is the channel assigned to the same broadcaster and which is set to the non-display setting is also acquired (step S203).

Then, the system controller 40 forms an electronic program guide table of a predetermined mode as shown in FIG. 6B, taking into account the program information acquired in step S203 (step S204), The formed electronic program guide table is output so as to be displayed (step S205), and the processing shown in FIG. 9 is terminated.

If it is determined in the determination processing of step S202 that the program at the cursor position does not indicate that the multi-channel flag is not turned on and there is a channel to be displayed in multi-channel, The process shown in FIG. 9 ends.

As described above, basically, in the case where the cursor 103 is positioned in the display column of the program in which the multi-channel mark is displayed in the normal electronic program guide table including only the program information of the channel of the display setting. In addition, the information of the program of the other channel set to the non-display setting assigned to the same broadcaster as the display setting channel is also displayed.

As a result, it is possible to obtain information about programs that can be viewed without leaking the information without changing the EPG display / non-display setting table one by one, and to select and watch or record a program of a channel for which display is not set. Operations such as making a reservation can be quickly performed with a small number of steps.

By the way, in the case of the image processing apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the cursor 103 is positioned on the program in which the multi-channel mark 100 is displayed in the electronic program guide table, A pop-up display 104 indicating that it is possible to perform multi-channel display that also displays information on hidden channels that are performing multi-channel broadcasting is displayed.

This pop-up display 104 is, for example,
Steps S204 and S20 of the process shown in FIG.
It will be done between 5 and 5. Then, when the cursor 103 is moved or when it is instructed to perform multi-channel display, the pop-up display 104 is erased.

Further, when the cursor 103 is moved and the destination program is a multi-channel mark displayed, a pop-up display 104 is newly added in the vicinity of the display position of the program information. I will do it.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, after displaying the electronic program guide table of the multi-channel display which also displays the information of the non-display setting channel used for the multi-channel broadcasting, Cursor 103 to the program of the channel used for channel broadcasting
When is positioned, a pop-up display 104E indicating that it is possible to return to the normal electronic program guide table displaying the program information of only the display setting channel is performed.

This pop-up display 104E determines whether or not the cursor 103 is positioned at the program of the channel used for multi-channel broadcasting, for example, after the step S205 of the processing shown in FIG. When it is determined that the cursor 103 is positioned on the program of the channel used for broadcasting, the pop-up display 104E is displayed.

Then, when the cursor 103 is moved, and when it is instructed to redisplay the original electronic program guide table only for the channels for which display is set, the pop-up display 104E is erased. When the cursor 103 is moved, and the program at the move destination is a program of a channel used for multi-channel broadcasting,
A pop-up display 104E will be newly provided near the display position of the program information.

In this way, the pop-up displays 104, 1
By displaying 04E, it is easy for the user to understand, and it is usually composed of multi-channel display that also displays the information of the non-display setting channel used for multi-channel broadcasting The display of the electronic program guide table can be easily switched and used.

Of course, as shown in FIG. 9, without displaying the pop-up, the electronic program guide table of the multi-channel display and the normal electronic program guide table are automatically displayed according to the program at the position of the cursor 103. And may be switched.

[Another Example of Display Mode of Multi-Channel Display] The multi-channel display shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 03 denotes a channel for performing multi-channel broadcasting assigned to the positioned broadcaster, and information of a non-display setting channel is added. However, the display mode of multi-channel display is not limited to that described with reference to FIG.
In the following, some other examples of the display mode of the multi-channel display of the electronic program guide table will be described.

[Other Example 1 of Display Mode] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining another example 1 of the display mode of the multi-channel display of the electronic program guide table. In the example shown in FIG. 10, one channel display column is switched and used to display the program information of a plurality of non-display setting channels used for multi-channel broadcasting.

In the other example 1 shown in FIG. 10, the channels used for the multi-channel broadcasting are three channels 141, 142 and 143. The case where the display setting channels are the channels 141 and 151 and the non-display channels are the channels 142 and 143 will be described as an example.

FIG. 10A shows a normal electronic program guide table constituted only by the program information of the channels set for display. In FIG. 10A, the character MC is the multi-channel mark 100, and the thick line surrounding the program information display field is the cursor 103.

As shown in FIG. 10 (A), when the cursor 103 is positioned on the program in which the multi-channel mark 100 is displayed and a pop-up display operation is performed, or when a predetermined time has elapsed, FIG. 10 (B) As shown in, a pop-up display 104 indicating that multi-channel display is possible is displayed near the content display column of the program where the cursor 103 is positioned.

Then, in the state of FIG. 10 (B), if a decision operation for instructing to perform multi-channel display is carried out, in the case of FIG.
10C shows the channel display column of the leftmost channel 141 displaying the information of the program broadcast through
As shown in, the channel can be changed to the channel display column of the channel 142 which displays information on the program broadcast through the channel 142.

In the state of FIG. 10C, for example, when the right arrow key of the remote controller 50 is pressed, the channel display column of the channel 142 which has displayed the information of the program broadcast through the channel 142 is displayed. , Fig. 10
As shown in (D), it can be changed to the channel display column of the channel 143 displaying the information of the program broadcast through the channel 143.

In the state of FIG. 10D, for example, when the right arrow key of the remote controller 50 is pressed, the channel display column of the channel 143 shows the channel of the channel 141 as shown in FIG. 10E. You will be returned to the display column. Further, in the state of FIG. 10D, for example, when the left arrow key of the remote controller 50 is pressed, the channel display column of the channel 143 is changed to the one shown in FIG.
As shown in (C), the channel 142 is returned to the channel display column.

Similarly, when the right arrow key of the remote controller 50 is pressed in the state of FIG. 10 (E), the channel display column of the channel 141 is changed to that shown in FIG.
As shown in (C), the channel 142 is returned to the channel display column. Further, in the state of FIG. 10E, for example, when the left arrow key of the remote controller 50 is pressed, the channel display column of the channel 141 is changed to the channel of the channel 143 as shown in FIG. 10D. You will be returned to the display column.

In this way, the display information of only one channel display column (channel display column for one channel) is sequentially changed on a channel-by-channel basis, so that the non-display setting channels used for multi-channel broadcasting can be used. The information of the broadcast program can be displayed.

Then, for example, as shown in FIG. 10C, when the program to be broadcast through the channel is selected while the information of the target non-display setting channel is displayed, By performing a predetermined channel determination operation such as operating a predetermined key of the remote controller 50, as shown in FIG. 10 (F), the cursor 103 is positioned on each program broadcast through the target channel. Can be operated.

That is, in the case of FIG. 10 (F), a program broadcast through the non-display setting channel 142 used for multi-channel broadcasting is selected and viewed, recording reservation is made, etc. To be able to.

As described above, by changing one channel display column to another channel display column, the contents of the program broadcast through the non-display setting channel used for multi-channel broadcasting can be changed. A program that is displayed and broadcast through a non-display setting channel used for multi-channel broadcasting can also be targeted for selection and the like.

[Other Example 2 of Display Mode] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining another example 2 of the display mode of the multi-channel display of the electronic program guide table. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the content display column (program display column) in the cursor frame for a predetermined time period
By changing the display only to the program information in the time zone of the cursor position of a plurality of non-display setting channels used for multi-channel broadcasting.

In addition, also in the other example 2 shown in FIG. 11, as in the case of the other example 1 shown in FIG. 10, the channels used for the multi-channel broadcasting are the channels 141, 142, 143. 3 channels. And the channel of the display setting is the channel 14
1, 151, and the hidden channel is channel 1
42 and 143 will be described as an example.

FIG. 11A shows a normal electronic program guide table which is composed only of program information of channels of display settings. In FIG. 11A, the character MC is the multi-channel mark 100, and the thick line surrounding the program information display field is the cursor 103.

As shown in FIG. 11A, when the cursor 103 is positioned on the program in which the multi-channel mark 100 is displayed and a pop-up display operation is performed, or when a predetermined time has elapsed, FIG. As shown in, a pop-up display 104 indicating that multi-channel display is possible is displayed near the content display column of the program where the cursor 103 is positioned.

Then, in the state of FIG. 11B, if a decision operation for instructing the multi-channel display is performed, as shown in FIG. 11C, the cursor 10 is displayed.
In the content display column of the program in 3, the information about the program broadcast in the same time slot through the channel 142 is displayed. In this case, the channel 1 which is the same as before is displayed in the content table columns of other time zones of the upper part and the lower part of the cursor 103.
The information of the program in the corresponding time zone broadcast through 41 remains displayed.

In the state of FIG. 11C, for example, if the right arrow key of the remote controller 50 is pressed, the channel 143 is displayed in the content display column in the cursor 103 as shown in FIG. 11D. The information of the program broadcast through is displayed.

In the state of FIG. 11D, for example, if the right arrow key of the remote controller 50 is pressed, the information of the program broadcast through the channel 143 displayed in the content display column in the cursor 103 is displayed. Change, Figure 11
As shown in (E), the display of the information of the program broadcast through the channel 141 is returned to.

In the state of FIG. 11D,
For example, if the left arrow key of the remote controller 50 is pressed,
The information of the program broadcasted through the channel 143 displayed in the cursor 103 is returned to the display of the information of the program broadcasted through the channel 142, as shown in FIG. 11C.

Similarly, when the right arrow key of the remote controller 50 is pressed down in the state of FIG. 11E, the channel 14 displayed in the cursor 103 is displayed.
The information of the program broadcast through No. 1 is returned to the display of the information of the program broadcast through the channel 142, as shown in FIG.

In the state of FIG. 11 (E),
For example, if the left arrow key of the remote controller 50 is pressed,
The display of the information of the program broadcast through the channel 141 displayed in the cursor 103 is returned to the display of the information of the program broadcast through the channel 143, as shown in FIG.

In this way, by sequentially changing only the information displayed in the content display column of the cursor 103, the non-display setting used for multi-channel broadcasting is also specified with the broadcasting time zone specified. The information of the program broadcasted through the channel can be displayed.

Then, for example, as shown in FIG. 11C, in a state in which the information of the target non-display setting channel is displayed, the selection of the program to be broadcast in that time zone of the channel is performed. In the case of performing, by performing a predetermined channel determination operation such as operating a predetermined key of the remote controller 50, as shown in FIG. 10 (F), the individual programs broadcast through the target channel are displayed. The cursor 103 is positioned so that an operation can be performed.

That is, in the case of FIG. 11 (F), a program broadcast through the non-display setting channel 142 used for multi-channel broadcasting is selected and viewed, recording reservation is made, and the like. To be able to.

As described above, by changing the information displayed in the content display column in the predetermined time zone in the cursor 103 to the information of the non-display setting channel used for the multi-channel broadcasting, it is also used for the multi-channel broadcasting. It is possible to select a program or the like, which is broadcasted through a preset non-display setting channel.

Also, in the case of the other example 2 shown in FIG. 11, by moving the cursor 103 in the vertical direction, it is possible to process the programs in other time zones in the same manner.

[Other Example 3 of Display Mode] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining another example 3 of the display mode of the multi-channel display of the electronic program guide table. In the example shown in FIG. 12, not only the non-display setting channels used for multi-channel broadcasting but all the non-display setting channels are to be displayed in the electronic program guide table.

In addition, in the other example 3 shown in FIG. 12, the channels used for the multi-channel broadcasting are the two channels 151 and 152. The case where the display setting channels are the channels 103, 141, 151 and 161, and the non-display channels are the channels 143, 144 and 152 will be described as an example.

FIG. 12A shows a normal electronic program guide table constituted only by the program information of the display setting channel. In FIG. 12A, the character MC is the multi-channel mark 100, and the thick line surrounding the program information display field is the cursor 103.

As shown in FIG. 12 (A), the cursor 103 is positioned at the program displayed with the multi-channel mark 100, a predetermined operation key of the remote controller 50 is operated, or a display mode of the electronic program guide table is displayed by a dialog or the like. 12B, if the information about the program of the non-display setting channel is displayed by switching
As shown in, information on programs of all non-display setting channels is also displayed on the electronic program guide table.

The channels 103 and 14 which are the display setting channels displayed in FIG.
The display contents of 1 and 161 do not disappear. For example, it goes without saying that the display image can be easily displayed and used by scrolling the display image.

In the case of this example, EPG display /
The non-display setting channels are also displayed without changing the non-display setting table one by one, and the program contents of the non-display setting channels used in multi-channel broadcasting are also displayed. It can be displayed and used.

[Other Example 4 of Display Mode] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining another example 4 of the display mode of the multi-channel display of the electronic program guide table. In the example shown in FIG. 13, a display setting channel and a non-display setting channel used for multi-channel broadcasting are pop-up displayed.

In the other example 4 shown in FIG. 13, the channels used for the multi-channel broadcasting are three channels 151, 152 and 153. The case where the display setting channels are the channels 102, 103, 151 and 161, and the non-display channels are the channels 152 and 153 will be described as an example.

FIG. 13A shows a normal electronic program guide table which is composed only of program information of channels set to display. In FIG. 13A, the character MC is the multi-channel mark 100, and the thick line surrounding the information display section of the program is the cursor 103.

As shown in FIG. 13A, the cursor 103 is positioned on the program in which the multi-channel mark 100 is displayed, and when this state continues for a certain period of time, the channel on which the cursor 103 is positioned is assigned. Identify the broadcasters in use. Then, as shown in FIG. 13 (B), a pop-up display 1 is an electronic program guide table in which only the channels used for the multi-channel broadcast are extracted by the specified broadcaster.
Display as 05.

Of course, not after a certain time has passed since the cursor 103 was positioned on the program in which the multi-channel mark is displayed, a predetermined operation key of the remote controller 50 is operated or a display mode of the electronic program guide table is displayed by a dialog or the like. When a predetermined operation for performing multi-channel display such as switching the
As shown in (B), a pop-up display 105 for multi-channel display may be performed.

In this way, by performing the pop-up display as the multi-channel display, the channels 151, 152, 1 used in the multi-channel broadcasting are displayed.
It is possible to preferentially select a program broadcast through 53. In addition, since the program information of the channels used for the multi-channel broadcasting including the channel where the cursor is positioned is displayed in a pop-up, the information about only the channels used for the multi-channel broadcasting is presented to the user in a very easy-to-see manner. Can be provided.

In another example of the display mode of the multi-channel display described above with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13, the multi-channel display is performed and then a predetermined operation is performed. It is possible to return to the normal display of the electronic program guide table that includes only the information of the display setting channel.

The display mode of the electronic program guide table described above can be selected so that the display mode according to the user's preference also includes the non-display setting channels used for multi-channel broadcasting. It is also possible to perform multi-channel display, which is the display of the guide table.

Further, the image processing apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment is provided with the communication connection terminal 30 and the communication interface 29, and obtains EPG data in advance through the Internet, stores it in the RAM 42, and stores it as described above. It can also be used to create an electronic program guide table.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, when the cursor is positioned on the program broadcast by the multi-channel broadcasting through the normal electronic program guide table,
The multi-channel display that also displays the information of the non-display setting channels used for multi-channel broadcasting is performed. By doing so, it is possible to identify the broadcast time zone of the program and determine whether or not the multi-channel broadcast is being performed.

However, when the electronic program guide table is first created, an electronic program guide is created including channels for which non-display is set with a time slot for multi-channel broadcasting, and this is output and displayed. You can also do so. However, in this case, the electronic program guide table also includes a lot of information about the time period during which the event-sharing broadcast is performed, and it is expected that it will be difficult to operate the electronic program guide table. It is preferable to perform multi-channel display of the electronic program guide table by the method of the above-described embodiment that can be clearly specified.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to an image processing apparatus which has various input / output systems and is capable of recording and reproducing has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, various image processing capable of creating and outputting an electronic program guide table from EPG data, such as a digital broadcast receiver called IRD or STB, a television receiver capable of receiving digital broadcast, a personal computer, etc. The present invention can be applied to a device.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, when the program at which the cursor is positioned is one of the programs broadcast by multi-channel broadcasting in the electronic program guide table to be displayed, multi-channel broadcasting is performed. When a channel used for broadcasting is a non-display setting channel, an electronic program guide table including contents of programs broadcast through the non-display setting channel can be formed and output and displayed. I chose

However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the electronic program guide displayed, the program associated with the program where the cursor is positioned is
Regardless of the broadcaster's difference, if another channel is being broadcast in the same time zone and that channel is a non-display setting channel, an electronic program guide table including the program information of that channel is formed. It is also possible to output this and display it.

As a concrete example, for example, when the program where the cursor is positioned is a live baseball broadcast program, the live baseball broadcast program is broadcast in the same time zone on other channels as well. When the channel is a non-display setting channel, an electronic program guide table including the program information of the non-display setting channel may be formed and output and displayed.

In this case, the determination can be made based on the information indicating the genre of the program included in the EPG data. Even under the current circumstances, for example, a live broadcast program of a baseball game held in the Kansai area is broadcast by two channels such that it is broadcast by a local station in the Kansai area and also nationwide. There are cases.

In this case, in the Kansai area, if one of the channels is set to be invisible, the live program of the baseball game cannot be viewed through the channel of the invisible setting. By applying the invention, the live broadcast program of the baseball game can be viewed through both of the two channels without changing the display / non-display settings of the channels one by one.

Also, although the program content is completely different, an electronic program guide table is formed to display the program content of the program assigned to the affiliated broadcasting company and broadcast through the hidden channel. It is also possible to That is, in this case, the affiliated broadcaster is used as the association information.

[0218] In addition, in the future, various programs will be broadcasted not only by broadcasters but also by various persons such as individuals, circles, corporations that are not corporations, etc. through networks such as the Internet. It is conceivable that a different environment will be prepared.

In this case, in the case of multi-channel broadcasting in which different programs are broadcast in the same time zone through different channels assigned to the same broadcaster, the non-display setting channel is displayed in the electronic program guide table. It is even more difficult to fully use the electronic program guide table just by displaying it.

Therefore, by applying the present invention, in the electronic program guide table, the program associated with the program where the cursor is positioned, for example, the genre is the same, the program providers belong to the same group, etc. When the channel providing the program is a non-display setting channel, an electronic program guide table including the program content of the program broadcast through the channel is formed and displayed.

By doing this, the user (viewer) selects, based on the program in which the cursor is positioned, from among a large number of programs broadcast through a large number of channels that cannot be selected in advance. Based on the person's intention, select a program that is likely to be viewed or reserved for recording, form and output an electronic program guide table that also includes the program content of that program, and display it. You can

It should be noted that in order to extract a program associated with the program where the cursor is positioned, it is conceivable to set information for association in the image processing device in advance. It is desirable to provide it as EPG data in advance.

As the information for associating, as described above, the genre of the program, the group to which the affiliated broadcasting station or the broadcasting source belongs, the so-called broadcasting source such as an individual,
It is possible to use various kinds of information such as the production date of the program, the producer, the performer, and the copyright holder. That is, it is possible to extract the programs having the same information as the related programs.

Further, the display mode of the associated program contents can be displayed by using any of the display modes of the above-mentioned embodiments.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, it has been explained that the display channel to be displayed and the non-display channel to be not displayed in the electronic program guide table are set in advance by using a function called initial setting or setup. . However, the present invention can also be applied to an image display device in which all channels are displayed without setting display / non-display.

As described above, in the case of the image display device in which all the channels are displayed without setting the display / non-display, the cursor is positioned from a number of channels, and the instruction is given. Immediately display the program information of the program related to the program, or display the program information of the instructed program and the program information of the program related to the instructed program in the electronic program guide table in association with each other. There are advantages such as being able to.

[0227]

As described above, according to the image processing apparatus of the present invention, information about associated programs, such as programs that are broadcast through channels that are set to non-display and are used for multi-channel broadcasting, can be displayed. Electronic program guide table including, without intervening troublesome operation,
By easily displaying the program, it is possible to quickly use the program broadcast through the non-display setting channel.

Further, since unnecessary information is not displayed in large amount on the electronic program guide table, the electronic program guide table can be used comfortably without complicating the operation of the electronic program guide table.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining an embodiment of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a digital broadcast signal.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an outline of EPG data.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an EPG display / non-display setting table provided in the image processing apparatus for setting channels to be displayed and channels not to be displayed in the electronic program guide table.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of a normal electronic program guide table including only information of display setting channels.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of multi-channel display of an electronic program guide table.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a case of returning from a multi-channel displayed electronic program guide table to a normal electronic program guide table.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process for determining whether or not there is one program being broadcast by multi-channel broadcasting.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a process when multi-channel display of an electronic program guide table is performed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining another display mode of the multi-channel display of the electronic program guide table.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining another display mode of the multi-channel display of the electronic program guide table.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining another display mode of the multi-channel display of the electronic program guide table.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining another display mode of the multi-channel display of the electronic program guide table.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining event shared broadcasting.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining multi-channel broadcasting.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Digital BS / CS tuner, 2 ... Digital input / output terminal, 3 ... Digital interface, 4 ... Terrestrial tuner, 5 ... Audio input terminal, 6 ... Video input terminal, 7 ... Input switching circuit, 8 ... A / D Converter, 9 ... Pre-audio signal processing circuit, 10 ... MPEG audio encoder, 11 ... YC separation circuit, 12 ... Input switching circuit, 13
... NTSC decoder, 14 ... Pre-video signal processing circuit, 1
5 ... MPEG video encoder, 16 ... Multiplexing / separating circuit, 17 ... Buffer circuit, 18 ... Recording medium, 19 ... MP
EG audio decoder, 20 ... Post audio signal processing circuit, 21 ... D / A converter, 22 ... Audio output terminal,
23 ... MPEG video decoder, 24 ... Post video signal processing circuit, 25 ... OSD circuit, 26 ... NTSC encoder, 27 ... Video output terminal, 28 ... Synchronization control circuit, 29
... communication interface, 30 ... communication connection terminal, 40
… System controller, 41… ROM, 42… RA
M, 43 ... EEPROM, 44 ... Remote control signal light receiving section,
50 ... Remote control (remote commander)

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 5C025 AA30 BA25 BA28 CA02 CA09                       DA01 DA05 DA10                 5C063 AA01 AB03 AB07 AC10 CA23                       CA29 CA36 DA03 DA07 DA13                       DB10 EB33 EB37                 5K061 AA09 BB07 BB10 BB19 DD11                       JJ07

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. Acquisition means for acquiring electronic program guide information for forming an electronic program guide table enabling selection of a target program from a large number of selectable programs; And an electronic program guide table forming means for forming the electronic program guide table based on the electronic program guide information, and a program instructed in the electronic program guide table created by the electronic program guide table forming means. The program associated with the, the electronic program guide forming means, the program associated with the program that is instructed, An electronic program that also includes the associated program information when the determining unit determines that the program is broadcast on different channels in the same time zone The image processing apparatus characterized by forming the inner table. 2. Acquisition means for acquiring electronic program guide information for forming an electronic program guide table that enables selection of a target program from a large number of selectable programs; and the electronic program guide information. Display / non-display setting means for setting a display setting channel for displaying program information and a non-display setting channel for not displaying program information in the electronic program guide created based on the above; An electronic program guide table forming means for forming the electronic program guide table based on the electronic program guide information acquired by the acquisition means and the setting information set by the display / non-display setting means; and the normal electronic program guide In the electronic program guide table created by the table forming means, the program associated with the instructed program is broadcast through different channels in the same time zone. The electronic program guide table forming means determines that the program associated with the instructed program is broadcast through different channels in the same time zone. In the case of being discriminated by, the program information of the non-display setting channel is also included based on the electronic program guide information acquired by the acquiring means and the setting information set by the display / non-display setting means. An image processing apparatus for forming an electronic program guide table. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electronic program guide table forming means provides a program associated with the instructed program as the non-display setting channel. An image processing apparatus, which is a channel and is intended only for a non-display setting channel. 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit is broadcast by multi-channel broadcasting in which different programs are broadcast at the same time slot through a plurality of different channels of the same broadcaster. An image processing apparatus, wherein a program is discriminated as the associated program. 5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the electronic program guide table forming means provides a broadcaster who provides the instructed program as the non-display setting channel. An image processing apparatus, wherein only an assigned non-display setting channel is targeted. 6. The image processing device according to claim 5, wherein the multi-electronic program guide table forming means provides a program for which the instruction has been given, in all time zones of display-set channels. In place of the information, an electronic program guide table is formed to display the information of all the time zones of the non-display setting channel assigned to the broadcaster who provides the instructed program. Image processing device. 7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the electronic program guide table forming unit is set to display only the time zone portion of the instructed program to provide the instructed program. Forming an electronic program guide table for displaying the information of the time zone portion of the non-display setting channel assigned to the broadcaster who provides the instructed program, instead of the information of the channel being displayed. An image processing device characterized by: 8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the electronic program guide table forming means is configured to provide a display setting channel for providing the program instructed and the instruction. An image processing apparatus, which forms a pop-up display image composed of both program information of a non-display setting channel assigned to a broadcaster who provides such a program. 9. Electronic program guide information for forming an electronic program guide table enabling selection of a target program from a large number of selectable programs is acquired, and based on the acquired electronic program guide information. The electronic program guide table is formed by determining whether or not the program associated with the instructed program is broadcast in different channels in the same time slot in the formed electronic program guide table, When it is determined that the program associated with the instructed program is broadcast through different channels in the same time zone, an electronic program guide table including the associated program information is formed. Method for forming electronic program guide table. 10. A display / non-display channel of a display-setting channel for displaying program information and a non-display-setting channel for not displaying program information in an electronic program guide table created based on acquired electronic program guide information. A method of forming an electronic program guide table in an image processing apparatus capable of presetting, wherein an electronic program guide table for selecting a target program from a large number of selectable programs is formed. To obtain the electronic program guide information, and to form the electronic program guide table based on the acquired electronic program guide information and the preset display / non-display channel setting information. In the program guide table, it is determined whether or not the program associated with the instructed program is being broadcast through different channels in the same time zone. When it is determined that the program associated with the instructed program is broadcast through different channels in the same time zone, the acquired electronic program guide information and the display / non-display channel setting information are added to the acquired information. An electronic program guide table forming method, characterized in that an electronic program guide table is formed on the basis of the program information of the non-display setting channel. 11. The electronic program guide table forming method according to claim 10, wherein the non-display setting channel used when forming the electronic program guide table is associated with the program instructed. A method for forming an electronic program guide table, which is a channel for providing a selected program, the target being only a channel of a non-display setting. 12. The electronic program guide table forming method according to claim 10, wherein a program broadcast by multi-channel broadcasting that broadcasts different programs at the same time slot through a plurality of different channels of the same broadcaster is provided. A method of forming an electronic program guide table, characterized in that the program is identified as the associated program. 13. The electronic program guide table forming method according to claim 12, wherein the program instructed is provided as the non-display setting channel used when forming the electronic program guide table. A method for forming an electronic program guide table, characterized in that only the non-display setting channels assigned to the broadcasting company are set. 14. The electronic program guide table forming method according to claim 13, wherein when the electronic program guide table is formed also by using the non-display setting channel, the instruction is given. Information of all the time zones of the non-display setting channels assigned to the broadcaster who provides the instructed program instead of the information of all the time zones of the display set channel that provides the specified program. A method for forming an electronic program guide table, characterized by displaying the electronic program guide table. 15. The electronic program guide table forming method according to claim 13, wherein, when the electronic program guide table is formed also by using the non-display setting channel, Only for the time zone portion, the information of the display-set channel that provides the instructed program is replaced with the information of the non-display-set channel assigned to the broadcaster who provides the instructed program. A method of forming an electronic program guide table, characterized by displaying information of a time zone portion. 16. The electronic program guide table forming method according to claim 13, wherein the instruction is given when the electronic program guide table is formed also by using the non-display setting channel. Forming a pop-up display image consisting of program information of both a display setting channel that provides a program and a non-display setting channel that is assigned to the broadcaster that provides the instructed program. A characteristic electronic program guide table forming method.