JP4908963B2 - Broadcast program viewing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a broadcast program viewing system including a recording / reproducing apparatus, and more particularly to a channel setting technique of the recording / reproducing apparatus.

  For example, the HDMI standard is defined as the latest versatile standard for connecting a plurality of digital home appliances. The HDMI standard uses a CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) protocol. Using this CEC protocol, devices connected by an HDMI cable are to be linked.

  Table 1 shows an example of the CEC command. The CEC command is provided to maintain versatility, and the common code common to the vendor and the vendor may be uniquely defined without depending on each device or the vendor. Vendors can be broadly classified into unique codes unique to vendors to provide a degree of freedom.

  For example, a linkage system that uses a vendor-specific code (command) of HDMI to make a device have a function has been announced.

For example, in a TV and an external device connected to the TV via HDMI, a system is known in which a user can continuously switch between tuning a tuner built in the TV and a channel built in the external device (patent). Reference 1).
JP 2004-304220 A

  The technique described in Patent Document 1 is a technique for switching an input video (input audio) from an external device connected to a television using an HDMI connection. The channel setting in the tuner built in the television and the tuner built in the external connection device must be adjusted by the user according to the setting procedure of each device. Therefore, there is a problem that the setting procedure is complicated and troublesome because it differs depending on the product (model, manufacturer, etc.).

  An object of the present invention is to save time and effort related to channel setting.

  According to the present invention, channel setting is performed in advance, and channel setting information is acquired from a broadcast receiving apparatus (television) storing the channel setting information via communication means. Based on the acquired channel setting information, perform a channel search for itself (tuner). Sorts data obtained by channel search by referring to TV settings. HDMI (CEC) may be used as one of the communication means. If the settings cannot be rearranged, an error message is output.

  That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a broadcast program viewing system including a first device and a second device capable of two-way communication, wherein the first device stores the communication by the communication. The second device acquires the first channel setting information from the first device, and performs a channel search of the second device based on the acquired first channel setting information. A broadcast program viewing system is provided. The first channel setting information includes information on a broadcasting station assigned to the remote control device of the first device. Further, in the second device, based on the first channel setting information and the second channel setting information obtained by the channel search, information on a broadcasting station assigned to the remote control device of the second device Are rearranged to match the setting of the first device. The channel search includes a process of selecting a reception frequency sequentially and searching for a currently receivable station.

  Since channel setting is performed using the information of the counterpart device, it is possible to reduce the trouble of channel setting.

  According to the present invention, for example, the storage / playback apparatus can obtain channel setting information from a broadcast receiving apparatus (television), and therefore can perform channel setting easily and quickly.

  If the user sets the TV channel once, the user does not need to set the tuner of the external device connected to the system, and can save the trouble of rearranging according to the TV setting.

  Hereinafter, a broadcast program viewing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described as an example of a system based on the HDMI standard with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a broadcast program viewing system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a liquid crystal television apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a digital broadcast receiving apparatus) that can receive a digital broadcast, which is an example of a connection source electronic device in the system illustrated in FIG. is there. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of a DVD recorder (recording / reproducing apparatus) which is an example of a connection destination electronic device in the system shown in FIG.

  Table 1 shows an example of the CEC command (code). As shown in Table 1, the CEC command includes a common code and a vendor-specific unique code in the HDMI standard. Here, the vendor-specific codes include codes relating to menu setting transfer, program information, special remote control keys, detailed error notification, and the like. That is, the recorder reservation function can be set with a degree of freedom by the vendor.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus A includes an antenna 1, a digital broadcast receiving unit 3 including a digital broadcast tuner, an HDMI interface unit 5, an HDMI signal processing unit 7, a decoder 11, and a remote control light receiving unit. Unit 15, audio signal processing unit 25 that processes audio signals, speaker 21 that outputs audio based on the processed audio signals, video signal processing unit 27 that processes video signals, and processed video signals A display 23 that outputs video based on the above, a control unit (CPU) 17 that controls each of these functional blocks through a bus line, a ROM 18 that is a storage unit that stores programs and other information for performing the following processing, and the like A RAM 19 is included. These blocks are connected by a bus line BL1 and controlled by a control unit (CPU) 17.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the DVD recorder B includes an antenna 41, a digital tuner 43, an HDMI signal processing unit 45, a control unit (CPU) 47, a remote control light receiving unit 51, a storage unit (HDD) 53, An HDMI interface unit 55, an electronic program guide acquisition unit 57, an optical disk drive unit 63 such as a DVD, and an operation unit 67 are provided. Further, the control unit (CPU) 47 has a ROM 65 and a RAM 66 which are storage units for storing programs for performing the following processing and other information. These blocks are connected by a bus line BL2 and controlled by a control unit (CPU) 47.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a broadcast program viewing system in which the HDMI input terminal 5 of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus A shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the HDMI output terminal 55 of the DVD recorder B are connected by an HDMI cable. A video signal flows from the DVD recorder B to the digital broadcast receiving device A between the digital broadcast receiving device A and the DVD recorder B, as indicated by an arrow. The control signal (CEC code) flows in both directions. Control processing between devices can be performed based on exchange of CEC code control signals between devices via an HDMI cable. Of the common code and the vendor-specific code, the vendor-specific code is used in the following processing.

  FIG. 4 is a channel setting process in the broadcast program viewing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows a flow of the setting acquisition process from the digital broadcast receiving device A of the DVD recorder B. Such processing is performed when a recorder is purchased or moved. First, processing is started (step S1), and regional setting processing relating to digital broadcasting is performed. More specifically, in this process, the area code setting is acquired in step S2, the prefecture area code setting is acquired in step S3, and further, the area identification setting is acquired in step S4. A channel search for digital terrestrial broadcasting can be performed based on these setting data.

  Next, in step S5, channel search for terrestrial digital broadcasting is activated. Next, one-touch button information is acquired in step S6, and service ID information is acquired in step S7. The one-touch button information is information assigned to buttons on the remote controller and is information that can be set by the user. When the user does not set, a default value is assigned. When the user sets, information indicating that the user has set is assigned. That is, for example, information for identifying whether the information assigned to the remote control is unset, default value, set by download, or changed by the user It is.

  A service (organization channel) refers to a series of scheduled broadcast programs organized by a consigned broadcaster. The service ID is an identifier assigned to each service, and is represented by 2-byte data. It is possible to identify which broadcast station corresponds to the broadcast station assigned to the number buttons (1-12) of the television remote controller by using the service ID. The DVD recorder B obtains the one-touch button information and the service ID information from the digital broadcast receiving apparatus A, so that the broadcast stations assigned to the buttons 1 to 12 of the remote controller are BS, CS, terrestrial digital broadcast You can know what each corresponds to.

  In step S5, the channel search is activated, but the channel search process takes, for example, several minutes. Therefore, in practice, in order to effectively use the channel search time, it is preferable to perform the channel search process in parallel with the processes of steps S6 and S7. Since channel search generally requires more time, it is determined in step S8 whether or not channel search for terrestrial digital broadcasting has been completed. The terrestrial digital channel search is a process of selecting a terrestrial digital reception frequency in sequence and searching for a station that can be currently received. However, the terrestrial digital varies from region to region, and the default station assigned to the remote control number also varies. Therefore, before the terrestrial digital channel search, the region code, the prefecture region code, and the region identification are acquired to know the region.

  When the channel search ends (Yes), BS is selected and NIT is acquired in step S9, CS1 is selected and NIT is acquired in step S10, CS2 is selected and NIT is acquired in step S11. By selecting BS, CS1, and CS2 and acquiring NIT, it is possible to know the broadcasting stations in BS, CS1, and CS2. Note that the NIT includes information about the network to be transmitted, such as a channel number, a modulation scheme, and a guard interval. In addition to the terrestrial digital broadcast that has been searched in step S8, all receivable digital broadcast stations are known. From this information, one-touch button information, and service ID information, it is possible to know a policy for rearranging channels.

  In step S12, the digital broadcast channel settings are rearranged. Detailed specific examples of this process will be described later. In the rearrangement process, one-touch button information (not set, default, user setting) that is information assigned to the remote controller on the TV side and each service are assigned. Since the broadcasting station assigned to each button from 1 to 12 of the remote controller is based on the service ID that is the identifier of the BS, CS, and terrestrial digital, respectively, Channel rearrangement processing (terrestrial digital, BS, CS) can be easily performed. More specifically, the assigned service IDs are searched from the channel setting of the recorder in the order of the remote control buttons 1 to 12 of the television, and the recorders are rearranged so that they are the same as the televisions.

  Next, in step S13, an error is determined. If it is not an error (OK), the process is completed (step S15). If an error is determined (error), for example, an error is displayed in step S16, and a retry is performed in step S17. A menu is displayed to allow the user to select whether or not to perform. When retrying (Yes), a warning is displayed in step S18, and the process returns to step S2. When the retry is not performed (No), the process proceeds to step S15 and the process is terminated.

  For error determination, when the information obtained from the TV does not match the result of your search, for example, there is information on the terrestrial digital broadcasting station on the TV, but the terrestrial digital broadcasting station is found on the recorder due to an incorrect antenna connection, etc. There are cases where there was no such thing. The error display is a display for prompting the user to confirm the antenna connection and the data reacquisition process. This also applies to poor reception conditions such as bad weather conditions.

  An example of processing for rearranging channel search data to settings of a digital broadcast receiving apparatus (television) will be described with reference to FIGS. As described above, this process is a process related to which channel is assigned to the channel number of the remote control device, and is a process of rearranging the recorder settings in accordance with the contents set by the user on the television. For example, by searching for a terrestrial digital broadcast station and matching the remote control setting of the TV being used, the same operation can be performed using either remote control.

  FIG. 5 is a table showing an example of the channel setting result of the television based on the user setting result. For example, in the Kanto region, CH1 is generally set as NHK general, and CH3 is set as NHK education. The table on the left in FIG. 6 shows the initial channel setting status of the recorder. As a result of the channel search shown in FIG. 4 on the recorder side, 1CH is NHK general, 2CH is NHK education, and so on. Since the TV remote control setting is different from the recorder remote control setting, rearrangement processing is performed in step S12 of FIG. 4 so that the recorder remote control setting matches the TV remote control setting. With such a process, the same process can be performed regardless of whether the remote controller of the television or the remote controller of the recorder is used, so that the user can use the remote controller without any sense of incongruity. In addition, since it is only necessary to perform the process of rearranging the settings, the time required for the rearrangement process is shortened.

  The process of matching the channel setting of the recorder to the television can be realized by receiving all information from the television, but digital broadcasting has a problem that the data amount requires a lot of time (about 30 minutes). Therefore, as described above, only the TV remote control setting registration information is sent, and the channel data acquired by the self (recorder) in steps S1 to S11 in FIG. 4 is matched with the TV settings in step S12. By performing the processing only by rearranging in this way, the amount of data exchange can be reduced, and the time required for the processing for adjusting the channel setting of the recorder to the television can be shortened.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the broadcast program viewing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the configuration shown in FIG. 7, a first recording / reproducing device (RD1) B1 and a second recording / reproducing device are compared with a digital television receiving device (TV) A having an HDMI interface (5, 55a, 55b). (RD2) B2 is connected based on the HDMI standard. In the configuration shown in FIG. 7, for example, according to the remote control setting of the digital television receiver A, the respective remote control setting of the first recording / reproducing device (RD1) B1 or the second recording / reproducing device (RD2) B2 is performed. You can also. Further, the second recording / reproducing device (RD2) B2 remote control setting is rearranged in accordance with the remote control setting of the first recording / reproducing device (RD1) B1, and the second recording / reproducing device ( RD2) The first storage / playback device (RD1) B1 remote control setting can be rearranged in accordance with the remote control setting of B2. That is, the HDMI interface of the digital television receiver A provided between the first recording / reproducing device (RD1) B1 and the second recording / reproducing device (RD2) B2 is simply used as a communication path for HDMI bidirectional communication. It can also be used.

  The above channel setting process can also be applied to analog broadcasting. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in analog broadcasting. First, in step S21, the process is started (start). In step S22, terrestrial A channel individual settings, for example, channel position data, received channel data, display channel data, fine adjustment data, and skip channel data are set. get. Next, based on the individual setting information, in step S23, the analog broadcast channel setting is rearranged so that the recorder setting matches the TV setting. In step S24, an error is determined. If OK (no error), the process is completed in step S25. If NG (error), the process proceeds to step S26 to display an error. With the above processing, the remote control on the record side can be easily set in analog broadcasting as in digital broadcasting. Digital and analog may be performed by a series of processes.

  The above process is performed using a vendor-specific code. Therefore, in addition to the HDMI connection, iLINK connection and AVLINK at the SCART terminal are also possible. In addition, it is also possible to perform processing by using another communication path. Processing is possible even when RS-232C or a LAN cable is connected.

  As described above, according to the channel setting process according to each embodiment of the present invention, for example, channel setting information is obtained from a television, and therefore, there is an advantage that channel setting can be speeded up. In addition, if the user sets the TV channel once, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to perform the tuner setting of an external device connected in the system, for example, a recording / reproducing apparatus. Therefore, the user can save the trouble of rearranging the television settings.

  The present invention is applicable to a broadcast program viewing system.

It is a functional block diagram which shows the example of 1 structure of the liquid crystal television apparatus which can receive digital broadcasting. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of a DVD recorder (recording / reproducing apparatus). It is a figure which shows the example of 1 structure of a broadcast program viewing-and-listening system. It is a channel setting process in the broadcast program viewing system by the 1st Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the flow of the setting acquisition process from a digital broadcast receiver. It is a figure which shows the example of the process which rearranges the data of a channel search to the setting of a digital broadcast receiver (television). It is a figure which shows the example of the process which rearranges the data of a channel search to the setting of a digital broadcast receiver (television). It is a figure which shows another structural example of the broadcast program viewing-and-listening system by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of a process in analog broadcasting.

Explanation of symbols

A ... Digital broadcast receiving device, B ... DVD recorder, 1 ... antenna, 3 ... digital broadcast receiving unit, 5 ... HDMI interface unit, 7 ... HDMI signal processing unit, 11 ... decoder, 15 ... remote control light receiving unit, 17 ... control unit (CPU), 18 ... storage unit, 21 ... speaker, 23 ... display, 25 ... audio signal processing unit, 27 ... video signal processing unit, 41 ... antenna, 43 ... digital tuner, 45 ... HDMI signal processing unit, 47 ... control Reference numeral 51: Remote control light receiving unit 53: Storage unit (HDD) 55: HDMI interface unit 57: Electronic program guide acquisition unit 63: Optical disc drive unit 67: Operation unit

Claims (8)

Including a digital broadcast receiver capable of bidirectional communication and a recording / reproducing device,
The first channel setting information stored in either the digital broadcast receiving device or the recording / playback device by the communication is received by the other device of the digital broadcast receiving device or the recording / playback device. A broadcast program viewing system that acquires a channel search of the other device in the digital broadcast receiving device and the recording / reproducing device based on the first channel setting information acquired from either the device or the recording / reproducing device. There,
The first channel setting information includes information on a broadcasting station assigned to a remote control device of either the digital broadcast receiving device or the recording / reproducing device,
Further, in the other device of the digital broadcast receiving device or the recording / reproducing device, the digital broadcast receiving device is based on the first channel setting information and the second channel setting information obtained by the channel search. Alternatively, the broadcast is characterized by rearranging the information on the broadcasting station assigned to the remote control device of the other device of the recording / reproducing device so as to match the setting of either the digital broadcast receiving device or the recording / reproducing device. Program viewing system.   2. The broadcast program viewing system according to claim 1, wherein the channel search includes a process of selecting a reception frequency sequentially and searching for a currently receivable station.   The broadcast program viewing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein area information is acquired and used for the channel search before the channel search.   The first and second channel setting information is assigned to one-touch button information regarding whether the information assigned to the remote controller is a default value or a value changed from the default value, and to each service that is each broadcast program. And service ID information capable of identifying a broadcasting station assigned to a remote control device of one of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus and the recording / reproducing apparatus. 4. The broadcast program viewing system according to any one of 1 to 3.   The broadcast program viewing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an error message is output when the rearrangement cannot be performed. The other device of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus or the recording / reproducing apparatus in a broadcast program viewing system including a digital broadcast receiving apparatus and a recording / reproducing apparatus capable of bidirectional communication,
The first channel setting information stored in either the digital broadcast receiving device or the recording / reproducing device is acquired from the digital broadcasting receiving device or the recording / reproducing device by the communication, and acquired. Based on the first channel setting information, the digital broadcast receiving device and the recording / reproducing device perform a channel search for the other device ,
The first channel setting information includes information on a broadcasting station assigned to a remote control device of either the digital broadcast receiving device or the recording / reproducing device,
Further, in the other device of the digital broadcast receiving device or the recording / reproducing device, the digital broadcast receiving device is based on the first channel setting information and the second channel setting information obtained by the channel search. Alternatively, digital information is rearranged so that information of a broadcasting station assigned to the remote control device of the other device of the recording / reproducing device is matched with the setting of either the digital broadcast receiving device or the recording / reproducing device. The other device of the broadcast receiving device or the recording / reproducing device. A channel setting method for the other device of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus or the recording / reproducing apparatus in a broadcast program viewing system including a digital broadcast receiving apparatus and a recording / reproducing apparatus capable of bidirectional communication,
Acquiring the first channel setting information stored in one of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus and the recording / reproducing apparatus by the communication; and
Based on the acquired first channel setting information, performing a channel search of the other device in the digital broadcast receiving device and the recording / reproducing device ;
Based on the first channel setting information and the second channel setting information obtained by the channel search, information on a broadcasting station assigned to its own remote control device is obtained from the digital broadcast receiving device or the recording / reproducing device. Rearranging to match the setting of one device,
The first channel setting information includes information on a broadcasting station assigned to a remote control device of either the digital broadcast receiving device or the recording / reproducing device,
Further, in the other device of the digital broadcast receiving device or the recording / reproducing device, the digital broadcast receiving device is based on the first channel setting information and the second channel setting information obtained by the channel search. Alternatively, there is a step of rearranging broadcast station information assigned to the remote control device of the other device of the recording / reproducing device so as to match the setting of either the digital broadcast receiving device or the recording / reproducing device. Channel setting method.   A program for causing a computer to execute the channel setting method according to claim 7.

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