JP2007504780A - Controlling the system for accessing teletext information - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of controlling a system for providing access to teletext information, the system selecting an input to receive a source signal and a program channel signal carried by the source signal and embedding belonging to a teletext service A channel selection system having teletext data, a teletext decoder for decoding teletext data embedded in the selected program channel signal, and a video signal for displaying the teletext information on the display device with the decoded teletext data And a memory for storing predetermined data having information specifying at least one predetermined program channel signal, and an interface for receiving a switch command input by a user, the method further comprising: , Switch piece via the interface Comprising the step of receiving a de. The method further includes, in response to the switch command, retrieving identification information identifying a teletext information provider from at least a portion of the decoded teletext data embedded in the predetermined program channel signal; Instructing the system to convert at least a part of the decoded teletext data into a video signal when identification information corresponding to the predetermined identification information included in the predetermined data is detected.

Description

  The present invention is a method for controlling a system that provides access to teletext information, the system selecting an input for receiving a source signal and a program channel signal carried by the source signal, A channel selection system having embedded teletext data belonging to the service; a teletext decoder for decoding teletext data embedded in the selected program channel signal; and teletext information on the display device for the decoded teletext data. An encoding device for converting into a video signal to be displayed; a memory for storing predetermined data having information for specifying at least one predetermined program channel signal; and an interface for receiving a switch command input by a user; The method includes a switch via the interface. To a method characterized in that it comprises the step of receiving the command.

  The invention further includes an input for receiving a source signal, a program channel signal carried by the source signal, selecting a channel selection system having embedded teletext data belonging to a teletext service, and a selected program channel signal. A teletext decoder for decoding embedded teletext data; an encoding device for converting the decoded teletext data into a video signal for displaying teletext information on a display device; and at least one predetermined program channel signal A system having a memory for storing predetermined data having information for specifying information to be specified, an interface for receiving a switch command input by a user, and a controller for controlling the operation of the system, Responds to receipt of the switch command Te relates to a system characterized in that it is configured to decode the teletext data embedded in said predetermined program channel signal.

  The present invention further relates to a video apparatus and a computer program having the system.

  An example of a method and system as defined above is known, for example, from JP-A-06-030386. The publication discloses a teletext receiver in which a microcomputer generates a table representing a cross-reference between four color keys, program locations (channels) and pages in a storage means. When one of the four color keys is pressed, the page data and the program position corresponding to the pressed color key are read from the table of the storage means and stored in the RAM of the microcomputer. At this time, program location data is used to control tuner channel selection. Thereafter, page data is provided to the character signal processor to set up the page and automatically receive the teletext program. The content is displayed on a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube).

  A problem with known receivers is that the viewer cannot confirm before pressing one of the color keys, and the resulting displayed page now has information intended for the viewer.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a video apparatus, method, system and computer program of the above defined type that can be used as a means for providing access to dedicated information.

  The object is to search for identification information for identifying a teletext information provider from at least a part of decoded teletext data embedded in a predetermined program channel signal in response to a switch command; And a step of instructing the system to convert at least a part of the decoded teletext data into a video signal when the identification information corresponding to the predetermined identification information included in is detected. Achieved.

  Accordingly, the identification information specifies dedicated information, that is, information that is owned by an individual or company and that is continuously updated for a specific viewer. Predetermined identification information extracts this specific viewer. If dedicated information is currently available to the viewer, providing a switch command provides it.

  Preferably, the method directs the channel selection system to select at least one further predetermined program channel signal having embedded teletext data if no corresponding identification information is detected; and a teletext information provider Searching for at least a part of the teletext data embedded in each further program channel signal, and when the identification information corresponding to the predetermined identification information is detected, Instructing at least a part of the text data to be decoded and converted into a video signal.

  Therefore, the provider of dedicated information is not limited to one channel. Users of systems controlled by this embodiment of the method can be provided with access to a selected number of different sources of dedicated information.

  A preferred variant of this embodiment comprises the step of storing information identifying the further program channel signal as start channel information when identification information is detected in teletext data embedded in the further program channel signal, More preferably, in response to a second switch command, first instructing the channel selection system to select the program channel signal identified by the start channel information, and identifying a teletext information provider A step of retrieving identification information from at least a portion of the teletext data embedded in the identified program channel signal; and when the identification information corresponding to the predetermined identification information is detected, the teletext to the system A step that instructs to decode at least part of the data and convert it to a video signal. And a flop.

  Thus, assuming that when a user requests access to dedicated information, it is embedded and transmitted in the same program channel signal, it is much more accurate because the selected first program channel signal is already accurate. Quick access.

  In a preferred embodiment, the system has an input for receiving at least one additional source signal, and the method selects a source signal that carries a predetermined program signal to the system in response to receiving the switch signal. A step of instructing to be provided.

  This allows users to quickly access dedicated information in an environment that requires the selection of the appropriate source, channel and page range according to a number of actions on a portion of the user, ie the latest information that must be provided to the user. In particular, it is an effective implementation of the method to allow access.

  A preferred embodiment comprises the steps of instructing the system to decode teletext data encoding a range of at least one teletext page according to predetermined page identification data stored in memory and convert it to a video signal. Have.

  Therefore, dedicated information can be reserved for several dedicated pages within the scope of the teletext service. Further, this embodiment has an effect that it is not necessary to provide each page including dedicated data having identification information. Instead, the individually transmitted identification information indicates to the system that the page containing the updated dedicated information is within a predetermined range.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, the system according to the invention is characterized in that the system is configured to be controlled by a controller using the method according to the invention.

  Thus, the advantages of the method according to the invention are provided and no external control means are required to carry out the method.

  According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a video device having a system according to the invention.

  According to a further feature of the present invention, there is provided a computer program capable of causing a computing device to execute the method according to the present invention when executed on the computing device.

  In FIG. 1, two examples of video devices that can have the system of the present invention are given. A DVD (digital versatile disc) recorder 1 is connected to a television apparatus 2 by analog video link means. Another suitable video device would be a set top box. In the example described below, it is assumed that the present invention is realized by the television device 2. It should be noted here that a system that provides access to teletext information need not be configured by a single device, but may have distributed components. Specific examples of such implementations include a separate (possibly external) TV tuner connected to a separate board of the computer, a teletext decoder chip mounted on the board, or software teletext installed on the computer. A personal computer having a decoder can be mentioned. In another implementation of the invention, the system is controllable by software that runs on a personal computer and directs the operation of each of the components described above that make up the system that provides access to teletext information.

  Returning to the example of FIG. 1, the television apparatus 2 is controlled by the user by the remote control unit 3. Although not necessary for the present invention, it is assumed here that the television device 2 is a digital television device. In FIG. 2, an example of a digital television reference design is given.

  The digital television device 2 has an input 4 for digital television signals supplied by cable, satellite or terrestrial digital broadcasting. The signal may be compliant with the ATSC or DVB standard. The tuner 5 is adjusted to a distribution signal of a specific carrier frequency and is used to extract an MPEG transport stream. An MPEG transport stream is obtained by multiplexing several elementary streams, part of which constitutes a program channel signal.

  The digital television apparatus 2 can also accept an analog video signal from another source such as a video recorder or an analog television tuner via the analog input 6. This analog signal is passed to a video decoder 7 which can process the video in one or more known analog video formats such as PAL, NTSC, SECAM.

  The home entertainment engine 8 processes the input transport stream signal or the converted analog video signal. In addition, the home entertainment engine 8 controls the operation of the various components of the system. If the input MPEG transport stream has several program channel signals, it also selects the appropriate one by demultiplexing the transport stream. The home entertainment engine further constitutes a program channel signal, i.e. teletext data embedded in the signal received from the video decoder 7, or a program channel signal, into an elementary stream in the stream group received from the tuner 5. A teletext decoder for decoding the configured teletext data;

  The home entertainment engine 8 is connected to a random access memory (RAM) 9 via a dedicated interface and to the system bus 10 via another interface. The system bus 10 is connected to an interface unit 11 that accepts and converts commands input by the user from the remote control unit 3 (FIG. 1).

  The home entertainment engine provides an output signal to the video encoder 12, and the video encoder 12 converts the output signal into a video signal in a format suitable for the display device. This may be an RGB composite signal for CRT of the television apparatus 2. In other embodiments, the term video signal may refer to an MPEG2 signal for a computer attached to a monitor or the like. An audio signal is provided by the audio encoder 13.

  It should be noted here that the home entertainment engine may access a storage device other than the RAM 9 such as the EEPROM 14 via the system bus 10.

  According to the present invention, the viewer can watch a program or a general teletext page on the television device 2 and can switch to receiving dedicated information by inputting a single switch command. Preferably, the command is input by pressing a single dedicated key 15 on the remote control unit 3. In this regard, dedicated information refers to information intended for a specific viewer such as a subscriber. One useful example relates to providing the latest coverage of sports matches such as cricket matches. While viewing other programs such as movies, subscribers of dedicated information can switch to receive the latest benefits simply by pressing the dedicated key 15.

  The switch command is passed to the home entertainment engine 8 via the system bus 10 by the interface unit 11. In response, the home entertainment engine executes the algorithm schematically shown in FIG.

  After receiving the switch command in step 16, the home entertainment engine 8 inquires about predetermined data stored in the EEPROM 14. The predetermined data includes an entry having information for specifying a program channel signal, a range of one or more pages to which dedicated information is transmitted, and identification information for uniquely specifying dedicated information to a provider.

  When the switch command is issued and the video is being viewed, the system first receives an instruction to switch to receive the source signal from the digital input 4 instead of the analog input 6. The tuner 5 is then instructed to be tuned to the correct MPEG transport stream, and the home entertainment engine ensures that its demultiplexing mechanism extracts the program elementary stream belonging to a given program channel. To do. These streams constitute program channel signals from which embedded teletext data is extracted and decoded. Accordingly, the first predetermined channel is selected in step 17. Here, when the dedicated information extraction function is first used, the first predetermined channel is a channel selected when the key marked “1” on the remote control unit 3 is pressed. Good. In other cases, the first predetermined channel is preferably the channel for which dedicated information was previously detected. In other embodiments, the first predetermined channel may be specially programmed by the user of the digital television apparatus 2 or may be programmed at the factory.

  In step 18, the home entertainment engine receives a portion of the decoded teletext data and retrieves identification information corresponding to the predetermined identification information stored in the EEPROM 14. The identification may be included in the header of the page identified in the predetermined data. Alternatively, the identification may be a code in a dedicated packet independent of a specific page, such as packet 8/30 as suitable by the European communication standard ETS300 707. The latter modification has an effect that data in a page is limited to dedicated information.

  If the identification information is detected in step 18, the home entertainment engine 8 uses predetermined data stored in the EEPROM 14 to extract information identifying the range of one or more teletext pages into which the dedicated information has been inserted. Inquire. The teletext decoder is instructed to decode these pages. In step 19, the decoded teletext information is supplied to the video encoder 12 for output on the screen of the television apparatus 2. Preferably, the dedicated information is included in a page outside the normally accessible range. This means that the page including the dedicated information is within a hexadecimal range such as 10A to 10E, 20A to 200E, 30A to 30E. This is because only the keys on the remote control unit make it possible to input numbers within a range such as the range 100-109.

  If no identification information is detected, the home entertainment engine will instruct the tuner 5 and demultiplexer to select additional predetermined channel program signals and repeat step 18 at step 20. If all predetermined channels have been searched, the algorithm moves to step 21 where the channel that was being viewed before receiving the switch command is displayed again. This marks the end of the algorithm.

  Preferably, when dedicated information is detected on the channel selected in step 20, information identifying the channel is stored. Thus, when a switch command is entered, the channel identified by that information will first be selected in step 17.

  Other embodiments are also feasible where, after step 19, the user presses an additional key, such as an “up” or “down” key, to select additional predetermined channels to be searched in a step similar to step 18. is there.

  The embodiments described above are intended to be illustrative rather than limiting, and those skilled in the art can configure many other embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Please note that. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word “comprising” does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in a claim. The term “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The present invention can be realized by hardware having a plurality of different elements and an appropriately programmed computer. In the device claim enumerating several means, several of these means can be realized by one and the same hardware. The fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not mean that a combination of these measures is not effectively available.

FIG. 1 provides a component level overview of a system that provides access to teletext information that operates in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for implementing the present invention. FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a specific example of an apparatus utilizing the present invention.

Claims (9)

A method of controlling a system that provides access to teletext information, comprising:
The system
An input for receiving the source signal;
A channel selection system for selecting a program channel signal carried by the source signal and having embedded teletext data belonging to a teletext service;
A teletext decoder for decoding teletext data embedded in a selected program channel signal;
An encoding device for converting the decoded teletext data into a video signal for displaying the teletext information on the display device;
A memory for storing predetermined data having information identifying at least one predetermined program channel signal;
An interface that accepts switch commands entered by the user;
Have
The method is
Receiving a switch command via the interface;
Retrieving identification information identifying a teletext information provider from at least a portion of the decoded teletext data embedded in the predetermined program channel signal in response to the switch command;
Instructing the system to convert at least a portion of the decoded teletext data into a video signal if identification information corresponding to the predetermined identification information included in the predetermined data is detected;
A method characterized by comprising: The method of claim 1, further comprising:
Instructing the channel selection system to select at least one further predetermined program channel signal with embedded teletext data if no corresponding identification information is detected;
Retrieving identification information identifying a teletext information provider from at least a portion of the teletext data embedded in each additional program channel signal;
Instructing the system to decode at least a portion of the teletext data and convert it to a video signal if identification information corresponding to the predetermined identification information is detected;
A method characterized by comprising: The method of claim 2, further comprising:
A method comprising storing information identifying the further program channel signal as start channel information when identification information is detected in teletext data embedded in the further program channel signal. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
In response to a second switch command, first instructing the channel selection system to select the program channel signal identified by the start channel information;
Retrieving identification information identifying a teletext information provider from at least a portion of the teletext data embedded in the identified program channel signal;
Instructing the system to decode at least a portion of the teletext data and convert it to a video signal if identification information corresponding to the predetermined identification information is detected;
A method characterized by comprising: A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
The system has an input for receiving at least one further source signal;
In response to receiving the switch signal, the method includes instructing the system to provide the channel selection system with a source signal that carries the predetermined program signal.
A method characterized by that. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:
Instructing the system to decode teletext data encoding a range of at least one teletext page and convert it to a video signal according to predetermined page identification data stored in memory. how to. An input for receiving the source signal;
A channel selection system for selecting a program channel signal carried by the source signal and having embedded teletext data belonging to a teletext service;
A teletext decoder for decoding teletext data embedded in a selected program channel signal;
An encoding device for converting the decoded teletext data into a video signal for displaying the teletext information on the display device;
A memory for storing predetermined data having information for specifying information for specifying at least one predetermined program channel signal;
An interface that accepts switch commands entered by the user;
A controller that controls the operation of the system;
A system comprising:
8. The system is configured to decode teletext data embedded in the predetermined program channel signal in response to receiving the switch command, and using the method according to any one of claims 1-7. A system configured to be controlled by a controller.   A video apparatus comprising the system according to claim 7.   A computer program that, when executed by a computing device, causes the computing device to execute the method according to claim 1.

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