JPS61108273A - Decoder for chargeable broadcast - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the convenience of use in the user side and simplify the charging system in the center side by writing the rate, which the user transfers, in a charging memory and subtracting the rate for a chargeable program from contents of the memory when the chargeable program is watched by him and displaying a message or giving warning when balance is smaller than a certain value. CONSTITUTION:Each user transfers preliminarily a prescribed rate from a bank 6 to a broadcasting center 9, and transferred rate data is transmitted from a central processing unit 7 of the bank to a central processing unit 10 of the broadcasting center 9 and is transmitted to the user from the center 9 through a satellite broadcasting ink. A tuner 1 (decoder) of each user stores transferred rate data in the charging member. When the user watches a program, data corresponding to the rate for watching is subtracted from contents of the charging memory by the decoder to execute pay per view 4. When data in the charging memory is reduced to a certain value by repeating the subtraction due to pay per view, the message which asks the user to transfer the rate from the bank or the like is displayed on the TV screen or a display part 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a decoder used in a pay broadcast system.

[Conventional technology]

A paid broadcasting system (pay-TV system) where you pay for the programs you watch.
Conventionally, in the per-view system, a center (broadcasting station) distributes a program list to each user in advance, and if there is something that each user wants to watch, they can schedule it in advance, such as one week or one day in advance. Make a reservation by calling the center before the specified deadline. When on-air, an ID signal is sent from the center to the user who has made a reservation, and the user's receiver or decoder in the receiver receives the ID signal and descrambles the scrambled broadcast signal.

In this pay-per-view system, (A) users must make reservations by telephone.

(B) If a reservation has a deadline and the deadline has passed, you will not be able to watch it.

(C) Fees will not be refunded even if you make a reservation and do not view it.

(D) At the beginning of each program, ID is given to all reservation users.
Since the signal will be sent, free time slots are required for this purpose.

It has the following drawbacks.

In another conventional pay-per-view system, the center first sends a status signal called ``pay-per-view,'' and each user, if he or she wants to watch, sends a ``pay-per-view'' signal to the decoder attached to the receiver. "Press the switch. This will descramble and enable viewing. When viewing is performed, the viewing will be stored in the billing memory in the decoder. The center periodically uses the telephone line to Examine memory contents and collect or charge fees.

This system improves the usability problems of the above-mentioned system, but it is complicated because the center needs to periodically check the billing memory of all users, and it uses telephone lines. It requires an auto-dial device and a modem (transmission/reception modulator/demodulator), and has the drawback that the user equipment and station equipment are expensive.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a pay-per-view system that is easy to use and has a simple and inexpensive system configuration.
The purpose is to provide a system.

Means for Solving Problem C] The decoder for 1'8I broadcasting according to the present invention has a charging memory that stores the user's remittance amount data sent from the broadcasting center, and the above-mentioned decoder for each paid program reception operation. The system is equipped with means for subtracting the amount for program fees from the contents of the charging memory, and means for issuing a warning or display to that effect when the contents of the charging memory become less than a predetermined value.

With this configuration, it is possible to improve usability on the user side and to simplify the billing system on the center side.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a pay-per-view system according to the present invention, which is applied to a direct broadcasting system using a broadcasting satellite. Direct broadcast radio waves from the broadcasting satellite 13 are received by the receiving parabolic antenna 2, demodulated by the DBS tuner 1, and then subjected to a predetermined scrambling operation. ) processed and viewed.

In this pay-per-view system, each user deposits a predetermined fee from a bank 6 into a broadcasting center 9 using a cash card 8 or the like. The transferred fee data is transmitted from the central processing unit 7 of the bank to the central processing unit 10 of the broadcasting center 9.
The center 9 transmits the fee data transferred to the user through the satellite broadcasting link. This is done using the PCM data area (for example, the vertical blanking section of the TV signal), and the data is sent from the transmissor 11 to the broadcasting satellite 13 through the transmitting parabolic antenna 12.
Furthermore, it is sent from the satellite 13 to the parabolic antenna 2 of each user.

Each user's tuner 1 (decoder) has a memory for charging, and the transferred charge data is stored in the memory. Further, the data in the memory is displayed on the display section 5. In the case of paid broadcasting, program status information called ``Bay Per View'' is sent to each user from the broadcasting center 9 through the satellite broadcast channel at the time of broadcasting.If each user wants to watch the program, he or she can press the numeric keypad on tuner Specify the channel by 3 etc. along with the line,
Press pay-per-view switch 4. Then, the decoder performs descrambling and viewing becomes possible.

At the same time, data corresponding to the viewing fee is subtracted from the charging memory in the decoder. This means that pay-per-view has been performed.

When the data in the billing memory decreases to the value obtained by repeating subtraction by multiple pay-per-views, a message will be displayed on the TV screen or display unit 5 urging the user to transfer the fee from a bank etc. be done.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a main part of the tuner 1 (decoder), which basically receives a received video signal and PCM data inserted into its vertical blanking as input, and derives an audio output and a video output. In addition, Figures 3 and 4
The figure is a flowchart corresponding to the operations of the tuner 1 to discriminate the transmitted program status information and to discriminate the contents of the digital data.

Input PCM data is introduced into the jCM decoder 21,
The decoded output is divided into audio data and digital data. The digital data is given to the microcomputer 27, and if the transferred payment information $Y is included in the data, the value of $Y is added to the charging memory 28 as shown in FIG. Further, if there is ID information detected in the digital data, a flag of ID=OK is set, and if there is no ID information, it is set as ID=NG. Also, if there is program fee information $X in the data, it is taken into the memory.

Next, discrimination regarding the program status information is performed in the microcomputer 27 as shown in FIG. When a pay-per-view signal is transmitted as program status information, it is discriminated as shown in FIG.
It is detected whether the switch 4 is pressed or not. If this switch 4 is not pressed, descrambling is not performed.

When the pay-per-view switch 4 is pressed, descrambling is performed. The descrambling information is given to the audio processor 22 and video processor 24 in FIG. 2, where the input audio information and the input video information are descrambled, and an audio signal is derived through the D/A converter 23. A video signal is derived through a vannofer amplifier 25 and an adder 26.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, ``accounting memory'' - ``program fee $X'' is subtracted. At this time, Figure 3 ■
When the remaining amount in the billing memory 28 is less than a certain value $K as shown in FIG. Ru. This causes the message to be displayed on the TV screen.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the case of a free program, the pay-per-view system does not operate, so the program can be viewed freely. In addition, in the case of a pay program by telephone reservation similar to the conventional system, if the ID flag is OK, descrambling is performed, and if it is NG, descrambling is not performed.

As described above, this pay-per-view system is extremely easy to use because there is no need to reserve programs in advance over the phone. Also, there is no inconvenience such as being charged if you make a reservation and do not watch the movie. Furthermore, if you press the pay-per-view switch even in the middle of the program,
You can watch it anytime.

Furthermore, since the fee collection system is not based on a telephone line (two-way communication system), the system at each user's receiving device and the broadcasting center is simple and low cost.

In particular, when the user's billing memory falls below a certain value, a message prompting the user to make a transfer is displayed, and the user only has to follow this message to make the transfer, making it a very simple and efficient system. In other words, in this pay-per-view system, the uplink to the broadcasting center 9 is a link via a bank, etc., and the broadcasting channel is used as a downlink to transmit program fee data, transfer amount data, etc. from the center to the user. If the user is using the service and is making a transfer, the information such as lack of money is automatically displayed on the user's decoder, so it appears that there is an interactive two-way communication channel between the user and the center. .

However, the lines that are actually used are only in one direction.

Furthermore, in this system, there is no need to send other signals from the center to the user, so there is no need for idle time for this, and the program can be packed up or other information such as text or messages can be added. Can be sent.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can also be used in other pay broadcast systems, such as cable TV systems. Alternatively, it may be a paid broadcast only for audio. Furthermore, in the embodiment, a timer function is provided in the microcomputer 27 shown in FIG. It may be configured to be subtracted from the transfer amount.

C. Effects of the Invention] The present invention writes the charges transferred by the user into the charging memory of the user based on information from the broadcasting center, subtracts the program charges from the memory contents each time a paid program is viewed, and stores the charge in the memory as described above. It is designed to display or warn when the remaining balance falls below a certain value.This allows users to watch the program at any time without making a reservation, making it easy to use, and the broadcasting center can, for example, There is no need to configure an expensive fee collection system, and a simple billing system that transmits transfer fees and program fees to the user side via a broadcast channel can be used.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a pay-per-view system, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of main parts of a tuner (decoder), and FIG. FIG. 4 is a brooch yard for explaining the operation of the tuner (decoder). In addition, in the symbols used in the drawings, 1-------
---1--------Tuner 2------------------------
--- 1 Receiving parabolic antenna 4 ---------
---One pay-per-view switch 5----
1.----Display section 6---------1--Bank 9-----
----------Transmission parabolic antenna 13----
-----, -Broadcasting satellite 21----------P CM decoder 22--------Audio processor 24-- -------11---Video processor 27---------Microcomputer 28---111---Charging memory.

Claims (1)

[Claims] a billing memory for storing user's remittance amount data sent from a broadcasting center; means for subtracting an amount equivalent to the program fee from the contents of the billing memory each time a pay program is received; and the contents of the billing memory are predetermined. A decoder for pay broadcasting, comprising means for warning or displaying a warning to that effect when the value falls below the value.