KR100354738B1 - Restricting method for viewing video signal and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for selectively limiting viewing of a video signal based on rating information carried on a video signal and parental control information set by a user, and a device suitable therefor.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for restricting viewing of a video signal, the method comprising: storing viewing permission information indicating a range of a viewable program (a), detecting rating information from a received program (b), the rating information and the viewing permission A method of restricting viewing of a video signal comprising the step (c) of comparing information and determining whether to display a received program, the content of the program being displayed if the rating information is included in a range permitted by the viewing permission information. And a display process (d) for displaying a video signal to be displayed and superimposing a screen display message on the video signal if the rating information is not included in the range permitted by the viewing permission information. In step (d), the display message occupies most of the display screen. To limit the viewing of the video signal.

The method and apparatus for restricting viewing of a video signal according to the present invention displays a message indicating that the program is blocked, and also displays the message to be displayed full of screens, thereby achieving an effect of preventing normal viewing of the program.

Description

Restricting method for viewing video signal and apparatus therefor}

The present invention relates to a method for restricting viewing of a video signal and a device suitable therefor. The present invention relates to a method for selectively limiting viewing of a video signal based on rating information carried on the video signal and user-set viewing restriction information. It is about.

The Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA) of the United States of the United States has adopted the TV Parental Guideline, submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on October 1, 1997, by the International Broadcasters Association, the Motion Picture Association, and a large group of educators and parents. In favor of approval.

After CEMA's decision, chairman ED MARKEY came to call it "V-CHIP" and suggested that this technology should be included in all television sets.

V-CHIP was proposed by CEMA's engineering committee to send program rating information to the 21st line of television broadcast signals.

This packet supports the MPAA rating scheme in the film industry and the TV Parental Guideline of the Broadcasting Association. This packet has class code 05H and is detailed in ANSI / EIA-608.

According to ANSI / EIA-608, program or channel blocking is represented as doing all of the following:

* Voice must be muted.

* Images must be rendered unrecognizable.

* Remove captions associated with the program.

The TV receiver must express the appropriate information on which such action was taken. (For example, "program blocked" or "blocked because of violence")

Channel blocking occurs as soon as the Program Rating Packet is received.

The receiver's initial state does not block the channel. In other words, when a receiver is first tuned to a new channel, that channel cannot be blocked until a valid Program Rating Packet is received. Once the Program Rating Packet is accepted, the receiver can determine whether program blockage should occur based on the Content Advisory Level or MPAA rating selected by the viewer. If no packets are received, the program can never be blocked.

If the program is blocked, the receiver should inform the viewer via an on-screen message that the blocking process has taken place through a suitable path.

According to the conventional method, a blue back screen or an alternative image is displayed along with a screen display message when the program is blocked. The blueback screen or alternate video blocks the viewing of programs with ratings outside the viewing range, and the display message tells viewers why the program has been blocked for some reason. Blocked because of this ")

Therefore, in the prior art, it is necessary to have a separate source image to be used when the program is blocked in addition to the received program. The source image may be a background generator (if it is a blue back screen) or a video tape recorder (if an alternative image).

As a result, according to the prior art, there is a problem in that an additional apparatus for generating a source image should be provided.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for selectively restricting viewing of a video signal without using an additional source image to block a program.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus suitable for the above method.

1 is a flowchart showing a preferred example of a video signal viewing restriction method according to the present invention.

2A and 2C show a display screen generated according to the prior art and the method shown in FIG. 1, respectively.

3 is a block diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the video signal viewing restriction apparatus according to the present invention.

4 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the parental control apparatus according to the present invention.

5 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the parental control apparatus according to the present invention.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for restricting viewing of a video signal, the method comprising: storing viewing permission information indicating a range of a viewable program; detecting rating information from a received program; A method of limiting viewing of a video signal, comprising: (c) comparing the rating information with the viewing permission information to determine whether to display a received program;

If the rating information is included in the range permitted by the viewing permission information, a video signal showing the contents of the program is displayed. If the rating information is not included in the range allowed by the viewing permission information, the video signal is displayed on the video signal. And displaying a display message by overlapping the display message.

In this case, the display process (d) is characterized by limiting viewing of the video signal by displaying the screen display message to occupy most of the display screen.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a parental control apparatus, comprising: a first memory for storing viewing permission information indicating a range of a viewable program, a packet decoder for decoding rating information of a program, a program decrypted from the packet decoder An apparatus for restricting viewing of a video signal, comprising: a microprocessor for comparing rating information of and a viewing permission information stored in the first memory, and determining whether a program is viewable according to a comparison result;

A second memory for storing a screen display message indicating that a program block has occurred when access to a program is blocked;

A character generator for generating a character signal corresponding to the screen display message stored in the second memory; And

And a superpositioner for synthesizing the video signal of the program and the text signal generated by the text generator,

In this case, the microprocessor may limit the viewing of the video signal by displaying the screen display message so as to occupy most of the display screen if the grade of the program is not included in the range permitted by the viewing permission information. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a flowchart showing the configuration of a preferred embodiment of the video signal viewing restriction method according to the present invention. The method illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a process of inputting and storing viewing permission information designated by a user (S102), a receiving process of receiving a video signal (S104), and a rating information detecting process of detecting grade information from the received video signal. (S106), a comparison process (S108) for comparing the rating information and the viewing permission information, and a text signal generation process (S110) for selectively generating a screen display message according to the comparison result of the comparison process (S108), and the text signal and The superimposition process S112 for superposing the video signal is included.

The information required by the character generator to generate the character signal is a character position, a character type, a character size, and the like. Here, the screen display message having the same contents can be displayed small or large by changing the character position and the character size. In the present invention, when a program having a rating other than the viewing permission level is input by using the same, the screen display message is displayed large, thereby effectively preventing the normal viewing of the video signal.

In step S102, information about a grade of a program that can be viewed from a user (for example, a parent) having a right of access is received. For example, if you are a child under seven years of age, parents may want to enter a rating of "TV_G" (program suitable for most viewers) or "TV-PG" (program that requires parental guidance).

The grade information of the received program is detected in step S106. Such rating information may be coded in the 21st line of the video signal as defined by the EIA-608 standard.

The rating information of the received program and the set viewing permission information are compared in step S108. If the set viewing permission information is "TV_G" or "TV-PG" grade and the rating information of the received program is "TV_G" or "TV-PG", the video signal of this program will be displayed normally.

However, if the rating information of the received program is higher than "TV_G" or "TV-PG", the program should be restricted from being viewed normally with a message indicating the blocking process.

The text signal generation process S210 varies the size of the screen display message according to the comparison result of the comparison process S108.

For example, if the set viewing permission information is "TV_G" or "TV-PG" grade, and the rating information of the received program is "TV_14" (program that the parents strongly forbidden) or higher, the screen stored in the storage process (S100). The display message is greatly enlarged and superimposed on the video signal of the program.

On-screen messages displayed in black and white characters are displayed in a combination of white clip level and pedestal level. That is, parts corresponding to characters and symbols to be displayed are represented by the white clip level (100% white) of the video signal, and parts between messages are represented by the pedestal level (black) or the level of the video signal. Therefore, the video signal is not displayed in the portion where the message is displayed.

According to the present invention, when a program out of the viewing permission range is selected by using the same, a screen display message indicating that viewing of the program is restricted and the screen display message occupy most of the display screen are used to display a video signal of the program. Will interfere with normal viewing.

In accordance with the ANSI / EIA-608 standard, overlapping of the screen display message continues as long as a nonconformity decision is generated in the comparison process (S108), and the screen display message disappears when a packet is not received for 5 seconds. While the screen display message is displayed due to the parental control, the audio signal and the caption signal are also muted.

Even when the screen display messages are overlapping, a user who has the access right of the TV receiver may reset the parental control information. If the program for which the parental control information is received is reset to the level at which viewing is possible, the comparison process S108 generates a low level determination signal, and the superimposition process S110 may prevent the screen display messages from overlapping. As a result, the contents of the program can be normally viewed. The setting of the viewable information by the user is presented in detail by the "user adjustment guide".

According to the method of obstructing normal viewing by using the screen display message as in the present invention, it is not necessary to use a separate source image to prevent viewing of the grade-limited program. Therefore, an additional device for generating a source image is not required, and a device for screen blocking is simplified.

2a to 2c are intended to schematically show the parental control effect according to the prior art and the present invention. 2A shows a display screen generated by the prior art, and FIGS. 2B and 2C show examples of display screens generated by the method according to the invention. In FIG. 2A, the display screen 20 includes a background screen 20a and a message screen 20b. The background screen 20a displays a blue back image or a substitute image when a program not included in the viewer's range is selected.

The text signal displayed on the message screen 20b is generated by a text generator (not shown), and a screen display message for guiding program block is displayed. The size of the message screen 20b is considerably smaller than that of the display screen 20 or the background screen 20a.

The following various methods may be used to make the screen display messages occupy most of the display screen.

1) Increase the size of the characters included in the screen display message. In other words, the video signal is hidden by enlarging the text. In this case, you need to adjust the position of the text to fit the size you want to enlarge.

In FIG. 2B, the display screen 4 is composed of a program screen 4a and a message screen 4b. The program screen 4a displays a video signal of a program.

The text signal displayed on the message screen 4b is generated by a text generator (not shown), and a screen display message for guiding program block is displayed. The size of the message screen 4b is a considerably large size that occupies almost the majority of the display screen 4 or the program screen 4a, and the size of the characters increases as much as possible.

When a program out of the viewing permission range is selected, the message screen 4b occupies most of the display screen 4, and in the message screen 4b, most video signals are invisible due to the text signal. Therefore, the viewer cannot normally watch the program.

2) A plurality of screen display messages with the same contents are arranged in a horizontal or vertical direction. That is, even if the text size of the screen display message is small, the same screen display message is repeated to arrange the display screen to fill the video signal.

In Fig. 2C, the display screen 6 is composed of a program screen 6a and a plurality of message screens 6b and 6c. The program screen 6a displays a video signal of a program.

The message screens 6b and 6c have the same contents. In the example of FIG. 2C, two message screens are arranged vertically, but it is also possible to arrange a larger number or horizontally according to an application.

3) The number of characters included in the screen display message is increased. In other words, the area where the screen display message is displayed is enlarged, and the number of characters included therein is increased so that the video signal is blocked.

In the method shown in FIG. 1, the video signal of the program screen may be scrambled or muted to further enhance the parental control effect.

In the method of scrambled the video signal, the synchronization of the line which does not include the screen display message may be disturbed.

In the method of muting the video signal, the video signal may be gated by the level of the text signal corresponding to the screen display message. This gating operation may be performed before or after superimposing the screen display message on the video signal of the program. The video signal in the non-gated section may be set to a predetermined level, for example, a pedestal level or a blue level.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the apparatus according to the present invention. The apparatus shown in FIG. 2 includes a memory 10, 12, a packet decoder 14, a microprocessor 16, a character generator 18, a synchronous generator 20, a superpositioner 22, a keypad 24, a remote. A controller 26, a driver 28, a mute processor 30, and an audio amplifier 32.

The first memory 10 stores a password set by the user and parental control information. The second memory 12 stores data for creating a menu screen and various guide message screens. In particular, the second memory 12 has contents for informing the process when viewing restriction occurs and stores a screen display message displayed on most of the screen.

The packet detector 14 detects program class information multiplexed on the video signal. This video signal can be multiplexed with program grade information that meets the EIA-608 standard. In this case, the packet detector 16 detects program class information from the packet transmitted by being encoded on the 21st line of the video signal.

The microprocessor 16 controls setting of a password, setting of parental control information, menu screens, display of various guide messages, parental control, and the like. The guide display messages required for each operation are stored in the second memory 12, and the appropriate guide display message is selected by the microprocessor 16. The selected guidance display message is superimposed on the video signal through the character generator 18 and the superimposer 20. The superimposed results are displayed via the CRT 34.

In particular, in the parental control operation, the microprocessor 16 compares the program grade information detected by the packet detector 14 with the parental control information stored in the first memory 10 and accordingly results in the second memory 12. Controls to enlarge and display the screen display message stored in.

For example, when the viewing permission information stored in the first memory 10 is "TV_G" or "TV-PG" grade, and the grade information of the received program is "TV_14" or higher grade, the microprocessor 16 may store the second memory. Control to display the screen display message stored in (12) is enlarged.

The information required by the character generator 18 to generate a character signal is a character position, a character type, a character size, and the like. Here, the screen display message having the same contents can be displayed small or large by changing the character position and the character size. According to the present invention, when a program having a rating other than the viewing permission level is input by using the same, the screen display message is enlarged and displayed, thereby effectively preventing the normal viewing of the video signal.

The supervisor 20 superimposes the text signal generated by the text generator 18 on the video signal. If it is not a permitted level, the parental level display message stored in the second memory 12 is superimposed on the video signal. As a result, the viewer views a video signal in which a message describing the blocking content is superimposed on the entire screen. Therefore, normal viewing of the program is impossible. In addition, the audio signal is muted by the mute processor 30 when it is not in the approved class.

4 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the parental control apparatus according to the present invention. The device shown in FIG. 4 is characterized in that the gate portion 34 is provided at the front end of the overlapper 22 shown in FIG.

The gate portion 34 gates the video signal of the program by the level of the text signal corresponding to the screen display message. That is, the video signal is gated when the level of the text signal is above a predetermined level (threshold), and is set to a predetermined level when the level of the text signal is below a predetermined level (threshold). Here, the predetermined level may be a pedestal level or a blue level of the video signal.

By the operation of the gate unit 34, the display screen is black (when the video signal in the non-gate section is set to the pedestal level) or blue (when the video signal in the non-gate section is set to the blue level). Only the screen display message is displayed on the background.

5 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the parental control apparatus according to the present invention. The device shown in FIG. 4 is characterized in that the gate portion 36 is provided at the rear end of the overlapper 22 shown in FIG.

The gate portion 36 gates the video signal of the program by the level of the text signal corresponding to the screen display message. That is, when the level of the text signal is above a predetermined level (threshold), the video signal overlapping the screen display message is gated, and when the level of the text signal is less than the predetermined level (threshold), the video signal is set to a predetermined level. . Here, the predetermined level may be a pedestal level or a blue level of the video signal.

By the operation of the gate unit 36, the display screen is black (when the video signal in the non-gate section is set to the pedestal level) or blue (when the video signal in the non-gate section is set to the blue level). Only the screen display message is displayed on the background. The same effect can be obtained even when the gate parts 34 and 36 of FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are provided together.

As described above, the method and apparatus for restricting viewing of a video signal according to the present invention displays a message indicating that the program is blocked when the user wants to watch a program that is not viewable, and also displays the message so that the message is displayed on the screen. To achieve the effect of disturbing.

Claims (15)

Storing viewing permission information indicating a range of viewable programs (a), detecting rating information from a received program (b), and comparing the rating information with the viewing permission information to display a received program; In the method of limiting the viewing of a video signal comprising the step (c) of determining, If the rating information is included in the range permitted by the viewing permission information, a video signal showing the contents of the program is displayed. If the rating information is not included in the range allowed by the viewing permission information, the video signal is displayed on the video signal. And displaying a display message by overlapping the display message. Here, the display process (d) is to limit the viewing of the video signal by displaying the screen display message to occupy most of the display screen to limit the viewing of the video signal. The viewing restriction of a video signal according to claim 1, wherein the step (b) detects rating information carried in a program rating packet inserted into a 21st line of a video signal corresponding to a program. Way. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (d) scrambles a line that does not include a screen display message in the video signal of the program. 2. The video as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step (d) further includes gating a video signal of a program by a text signal corresponding to the screen display message before the screen display message is overlaid. How to limit the viewing of a signal. The method of claim 4, wherein the video signal in the section not gated by the text signal is set to a predetermined level. 2. The video of claim 1, wherein the step (d) further includes gating a video signal of a program having a screen display message overlaid by a text signal corresponding to the screen display message (d ″). How to limit the viewing of a signal. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the video signal in the section not gated by the text signal is set to a predetermined level. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying step (d) displays the text size of the screen display message in a large size. The method of claim 1, wherein the display process (d) displays a plurality of screen display messages having the same content so as to be arranged in a plurality of horizontally or vertically. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying step (d) increases the number of characters included in the screen display message. A first memory for storing viewing permission information indicating a range of viewable programs, a packet decoder for decoding rating information of a program, and rating information of a program decrypted from the packet decoder with viewing permission information stored in the first memory In the video signal viewing restriction device comprising a microprocessor for determining whether or not the program can be viewed according to the comparison result, A second memory for storing a screen display message indicating that a program block has occurred when access to a program is blocked; A character generator for generating a character signal corresponding to the screen display message stored in the second memory; And And a superpositioner for synthesizing the video signal of the program and the text signal generated by the text generator, In this case, the microprocessor limits the viewing of the video signal by displaying the screen display message so as to occupy most of the display screen if the program grade is not included in the range permitted by the viewing permission information. Parental control device. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a gate unit for gating a video signal of a program by a level of a text signal corresponding to a screen display message in front of the overlapper. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the gate unit sets a video signal in a section not gated by a text signal to a predetermined level. 12. The viewing restriction of a video signal according to claim 11, further comprising a gate unit configured to gate a video signal of a program in which a text signal corresponding to a screen display message is superimposed on the rear end of the overlapper by a level of a text signal. Device. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the gate unit sets a video signal in a section not gated by a text signal to a predetermined level.